Shimoga: Six people, including two employees of the Mangalore Electricity Supply Company (MESCOM), have been booked in connection with the electrocution of a wild tusker in the forest near Bommanahalli village of Sorab taluk in September.
The 15-year-old wild tusker had been straying into human habitats and agricultural fields in the Udri grama panchayat limits since February this year. The forest department had pressed into service four tamed elephants from the Sakrebylel camp to trap the tusker.
However on September 18 the tusker was found dead in the forest near Bommanahalli. The preliminary investigation revealed that the elephant had died after coming into contact with the 11-kv electricity line drawn through the forest and into the agricultural land belonging to Nagappa, a resident of Basur village.
P.P. Banerjee, Deputy Conservator of Forest told this correspondent that the department had submitted a detailed report on the death of the elephant to the Judicial Magistrate First Class Court at Sorab. The court had directed the Anavatti police to conduct a detailed probe into the incident.
Anwar Khan, Assistant Conservator of Forest in Sorab division, had also lodged a complaint with the Anavatti police in this connection. In his complaint, Mr Khan had alleged that Assistant Executive Engineer of MESCOM Parameshwarappa, feeder man Srikanth, those who were tilling the land, Nagappa and Thimmappa Shetty and their associates Yuvaraj and Jagadeesh from Kulage village were responsible for the tusker’s death.
The complaint stated that Parameshwarappa and Srikanth had failed in their duty by drawing electricity line through the forest area. Based on the complaint, the police have booked cases against all the six accused under Sections 4, 6, 9, 35, 39 and 51 of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
