DHNS

Hassan, Dec 1: Even as a series of elephant deaths that rocked the State is yet to fade from public memory, another tusker was found electrocuted near Madihalli in Alur taluk of the district on Saturday night.
 
The 30-year-old tusker came into contact with an electric fence as it attempted to enter a farm house of one Rangegowda, and suffered electric shock. The jumbo had barged into the same farmhouse and ravaged maize stocked therein and power cut at that time had saved its life. It is learnt that Rangegowda had not shifted the produce in spite of a warning by forest officials on possibility of the jumbo raiding the farmhouse again.

Meanwhile, the villagers have accused the forest department of not taking any preventive measures despite repeated requests. They have held the department officials and the government responsible for the death of the 3.5 metre tall heavily built tusker. Forest officials, to put an end to the blame game, have promised to investigate the incident. The Alur police have registered a complaint. Divisional Forest Officer Ambadi Madhava, RFO Mandanna, DySP Rudrappa and others visited spot.