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Congress MP Rahul Gandhi reached the residence of Forest Department watcher VP Paul, who was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Wayanad on Sunday.
The Congress MP interacted with the victim's family as he extended condolences to the grieved family. The incident led to a massive protest in Pakkam near Pulpally in Wayanad district on Saturday. Yesterday, Rahul Gandhi abruptly halted his 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' in Varanasi, and left for his constituency of Wayanad, prompted by public protest over the deaths of residents in wild elephant attacks. Gandhi has also written a letter to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan requesting decisive action over the incident. According to Kerala Forest Minister AK Saseendran, the victim was attacked when the elephant ventured into a residential area near Mananthavady. After the incident, the Kerala government announced Rs 10 lakh compensation and also assured a job to one of the family members of the deceased. Meanwhile, Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday directed officials to hold a high-level meeting to discuss the issues related to wildlife attacks in Wayanad. According to the CM of Kerala, a meeting will be held in Wayanad on February 20. Revenue, Forest and Local Self-Government Department ministers will attend the meeting. People's representatives, including the representatives of local bodies of Wayanad district and officials, including high level officials, will participate in the meeting. Simultaneously, another incident was reported where a cow was found dead, purportedly due to a wild animal attack near Kenichira this morning. Enraged locals brought the cow's body and placed it on the bonnet of a forest department jeep, intensifying the demand for immediate action. The situation remains tense in Wayanad as authorities grapple with the increasing frequency of wildlife-related incidents. The upcoming high-level meeting is anticipated to address strategies and measures to mitigate the rising challenges posed by such attacks in the region. (ANI)
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