Hunsur: A wild elephant claimed the life of Chaluvaiah, a 70-year-old farmer at Mudaganuru village, Hanagodu Hobli this morning. The incident took place when Chaluvaiah was working on his farm land.

The marauding elephant attacked him all of a sudden, resulting in fatal injuries. The horrifying event has sent shockwaves through the village, leading the residents to run for cover due to the menace, causing significant disruption in their routine activities.

Chaluvaiah leaves behind his wife, two sons and two daughters.

Meanwhile, the Forest Officers with the help villagers have chased the wild elephant to the forest.

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Mysore/Mysuru: After a young tiger was killed when a car hit it near Mysore Airport in Mandakalli on Sunday night, a leopard cub was killed in a hit-and-run incident on Bengaluru-Bantwal Highway in Hunsur yesterday early morning.

It is suspected that the driver of the unidentified vehicle, while proceeding at the turn of Ayappaswamy Gudda on the Highway in the town, hit the leopard cub which was crossing                                                the Highway.

The visibility was poor due to early morning mist resulting in the driver unable to see the cub crossing the Highway and hitting the cub resulting in its death.

Just a month ago on Dec. 30, a leopard was killed when an unidentified vehicle rammed into it near Arabbitittu, Bilikere on Mysuru-Hunsur Main Road and this month a leopard cub has been killed.

DCF Seema, ACF Mahadeva and RFO Nandakumar visited the spot. As per procedure, post-mortem was conducted and the cub was cremated. A case has been registered by the Hunsur Forest Department.

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Hunsur: In a suspected honour killing case, a youth, angered over his sister falling in love with a youth belonging to a different faith, allegedly killed his sister and mother by pushing them into a lake at Hirikyathanahalli (Maruru) village in the taluk yesterday night. The accused youth has been taken into custody by the Police.

While the deceased have been identified as Anitha (45), wife of Satish and her daughter Dhanushree (19), who was pursuing her final year degree course at Hunsur, the accused is Nitish, son of Satish and deceased Anitha.

It is said that Dhanushree was in love with a youth belonging to a different faith and Nitish, who came to know about it, used to fight with his sister Dhanushree frequently resulting in their parents intervening and stopping the fight all the time.

Yesterday night, Nitish told his mother and sister that he would take them to their relative’s house at Hemmige and took both of them on his bike.

On the way, he stopped the bike on Maruru Lake bund, dragged his sister Dhanushree from the bike and pushed her into the lake. When his mother rushed to rescue Dhanushree, Nitish also pushed his mother into the lake.

Nitish, who sat on the lake bund weeping, jumped into the lake in a bid to rescue his mother but it was too late. Nitish, with his clothes wet, went to his house and informed his father about the incident. His father Satish, shocked on learning about the incident, rushed to the lake but could do nothing as it was dark.

Meanwhile, Hunsur Rural Police, who arrived at the spot this morning, summoned Fire and Emergency Services personnel to the lake and got the bodies fished out from the lake.

Hunsur Rural Police, who have registered a case in this regard, have taken Nitish into custody and are investigating.

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Members of Leopard Task Force, Elephant Task Force, frontline staff trained in ground operations 

Mysore/Mysuru: In response to the escalating threat posed by leopards, elephants and other wild animals in the Mysuru region, specialised task forces have been established to address the situation. A dedicated Leopard Task Force has been formed in the Mysuru Circle, while an Elephant Task Force has been deployed in the Hunsur area.

To enhance the efficiency and preparedness of these Task Forces, a workshop on ‘Conservation and Management of Leopard and Elephants’ was conducted on Jan. 10 at the Forest Guards Training Centre in Yelwal.

The event saw the participation of over 100 members — 45 members from the Leopard Task Force, 32 members from the Elephant Task Force (including outsourced employees), 20 frontline staff and 2 sub-zone forest officers from the Bidar Division.

Chief Conservator of Forests, Mysuru Circle Dr. M. Malathi Priya inaugurated the workshop and delivered the inaugural address. Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF – Territorial) Dr. K.N. Basavaraju presided over the event, providing crucial information on leopards trapped in buildings, human habitation and the utilisation of drone-based tracking and driving operations.

The workshop featured DCF Hunsur P.A. Seema, who highlighted essential DOs and DON’Ts in rescue and drive operations. Veterinary Officer Dr. Madan Kompal shared insights on post-rescue/ capture operations while Ph.D scholar Dr. S. Nishant provided valuable information on Asian elephant ecology, behaviour, human-elephant interactions, mitigation measures and health & safety protocols.

Key presentations during the workshop included Assistant Conservator of Forests, Mysuru Sub-Division N. Laxmikanth on leopards in sugarcane and agriculture fields and Zonal Forest Officer, Wildlife Zone Santhosh Hugar, who spoke about leopards in morbid and injured conditions, as well as insights into leopard cubs. The workshop concluded with Assistant Conservator of Forests, Hunsur Division Mahadevaiah providing important closing remarks, emphasising the collaborative efforts required to address the challenges posed by wildlife in the region.

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KSRTC electric bus collides against four-wheeler; commuters cite overspeeding, road engineering defect

Hunsur: A horrific accident occurred between a four-wheeler and a KSRTC Electric Bus, resulting in the tragic death of four labourers and injuries to five individuals, including the bus driver. The incident occurred around 8.30 am at the turning in front of the RTO Office in Hunsur town.

The incident occurred when both the vehicles, coming in opposite directions, took a turn in front of the RTO Office in Hunsur town. The vehicles collided head-on. Eyewitnesses and the Police report indicate that the collision happened at a turn, with the four-wheeler on its designated side of the road.

The speeding bus, however, veered significantly to the opposite side of the road, leading to the collision.

The Bengaluru Depot KSRTC Electric Bus (KA-51-AJ-0279) left Virajpet at about 7 am to Bengaluru while the four-wheeler (KA-12-P-1968), carrying nine labourers to a ginger farm in Periyapatna, left H.D. Kote at about 8.30 am. There were nine persons in the jeep.

The deceased have been identified as Manu (28), from Dammanakatte village, who was driving the four-wheeler, Lokesh (35), son of Mudaiah, Rajesh (38), son of Devaraj and Somesh (40), son of Ramaiah, all from Jiara village in H.D. Kote taluk. Manu’s father, Gopal, a labour contractor and owner of the Mahindra four-wheeler, was also traveling in the vehicle and fortunately escaped unharmed.

Those injured are 29-year-old Ravi, son of Ravikumar and 45-year-old Sannaswamy, son of Doddaiah of Jiara village, 30-year-old Ningaraju, son of Thimmaiah of Hosamala village, Antharasanthe Hobli, 30-year-old Kariyappa, son of Puttaiah of Nuralakuppe village in H.D. Kote taluk and bus driver Kumaraswamy.

While Kumaraswamy and Ningaraju have been shifted to K.R. Hospital in Mysuru, others  with injuries on their face and head have been admitted to Hunsur Government Hospital.

The collision was so severe that one labourer’s body was lodged inside the four-wheeler, while the bleeding bodies of three others were thrown onto the road. The four-wheeler was mangled and the electric bus suffered damage near driver’s seat.  

Hunsur Town Inspector Dharmendra, along with staff Yogesh, Anil Kumar and others, arrived at the scene, conducted necessary procedures, including mahazar, shifted the injured to Hunsur Hospital and bodies to the mortuary. A case was registered.

KSRTC officers, who visited the spot, handed over exgratia cheques of Rs. 25,000 each to four families of the deceased. Further compensation as per norms will be handed over as per the due legal process.

Bus passengers made to wait for two hours

Following the accident, passengers of KSRTC Electric Bus, primarily office-goers, endured a nearly two-hour wait for KSRTC officials to arrange an alternative bus. 

The delay caused frustration among passengers,  considering the biometric attendance system in most offices. With the need to register their thumb impressions on time, passengers faced the risk of losing a day’s salary due to the prolonged wait.

Expressing their discontent, passengers were heard criticising KSRTC officials in providing a bus. Relief came at around 10.30 am when another KSRTC bus arrived and allowed them to continue their journey.

Another accident at same spot: Road engineering flaw suspected

When Mysuru Superintendent of Police (SP) Seema Latkar and ASP Dr. B.N. Nandini visited the accident site to assess the situation, local residents and commuters expressed concerns to the SP about KSRTC bus drivers overspeeding and a perceived flaw in road engineering at the location, emphasising the need for urgent rectification.

 Dr. Nandini promptly contacted the PWD officers, urging them to address the issue by implementing measures such as widening and other rectification methods. Subsequently, PWD officers visited the site and assured corrective action. 

Adding credence to the complaints about the road engineering fault, another accident occurred at the same spot around 10.30 am. This accident involved an Innova and an ISUZU goods vehicle.  The Innova was travelling from Kodagu towards Mysuru, while the goods vehicle was headed from Mysuru to Gonikoppa. The vehicles collided, but there was no loss of life or major damage. The owners of both vehicles reached a compromise and left the scene without registering a case.

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Hunsur: Hanuma Jayanti was celebrated with a grand procession in Hunsur town yesterday,    drawing participation from thousands of people.

The procession commenced at Ranganatha Layout in the town at 11 am, featuring the ceremonial offering of floral tributes to the idol of Lord Hanuman. The dignitaries present included MLA G.D. Harish Gowda, Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha, former MLA H.P. Manjunath, former MP C.H. Vijayashankar, Sri Nataraja Swamiji of Gavadagere Gurulinga Jangamadevara Mutt and Sri Sambasadashiva Swamiji of Madahalli Ukkinakanthe Mutt.

A total of 12 tableaux, representing Ayodhya Ram Mandir, Dattatreya, Jai Maruti, Rama, Lakshmana, Seetha, a copper idol of Lord Hanuman, Trishula (trident), Gadhe (Mace) and various cultural troupes such as Nagari, Dollu, bandset, Mangala Vadya, Huli Vesha, Veeragase, and dolls from Mangaluru, added vibrant hues to the procession.

As the participants walked along the procession, they enthusiastically chanted slogans like “Jai Sriram,” “Jai Hanuman,” and “Jai Bhajarangi,” accompanied by lively DJ music. Notably, as the procession traversed the bazaar street, Muslims exemplified harmony by distributing packets of buttermilk, bananas and sweets to the devotees of Hanuman.

In a precautionary measure, a substantial Police contingent was deployed along the procession route, including six Officers of the Superintendent of Police (SP) cadre, 12 DySPs, 16 Inspectors, 81 Sub-Inspectors, 152 Assistant Sub-Inspectors, 954 Head Constables, 10 platoons of KSRP, 11 platoons of DAR, eight drone cameras and  20 videographers.

The security arrangements were overseen by DIGP (Southern Range) Dr. M.B. Boralingaiah, SP Seema Latkar, Add Dy.SP Gopalakrishna.

Hon. President of Anjanadri Seva Trust Yoganand Kumar, President Venkatnarayan Das, Nagaraj Malladi, Hallada Koppal Naganna, former MLA Chikkamadu’s daughter Ranjitha and others were present.

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Hunsur/K.R. Nagar: In separate incidents, miscreants have robbed gold ornaments from two women, while they were boarding bus at Hunsur and K.R. Nagar KSRTC Bus Stands.

In the first case, 72-year-old Shivamma was robbed of her 35-gram gold chain while she was boarding a bus to Mysuru at Hunsur KSRTC Bus Stand on Dec. 10 evening.

A resident of Pillahalli village, Varuna hobli in Mysuru taluk, Shivamma had come to Hunsur to attend a wedding at Valmiki Bhavan. After participating in the wedding ceremony, Shivamma went to the KSRTC Bus Stand in the town at about 5.30 pm and was boarding a bus to Mysuru, when a miscreant robbed the gold chain she was wearing.

A case has been registered at Hunsur Town Police Station.

In the second incident, 31-year-old Sudha of Hassan, who had come to her parents’ house at Lalamdevanahalli village in K.R. Nagar taluk, was boarding a bus at the KSRTC Bus Stand in K.R. Nagar to go to Hassan, during which a miscreant made away with her 50-gram gold ornaments which were kept in her vanity bag.

A case has been registered at K.R. Nagar Police Station.

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Hunsur: In a head on collision between two motorbikes occurred near Maddur on Mysuru-Bengaluru road on Thursday, a resident of Hunsur died on the spot and his wife escaped with minor injuries.

Sadiq Ahmed, son of Hunsur auto drivers association former president Sanavullah and a resident of Kalkuni Housing Board Colony was returning home on his Bajaj Platinum bike (KA-45-EB-0200) after visiting a relative. He met with an accident near Rukdrakshipur village near Maddur when a bike from opposite side collided with his bike. While Sadiq Ahmed died on the spot, his wife Sabina was admitted to a hospital.

A case has been registered in Maddur Police station and the Police are investigating. The deceased is survived by his wife, three children and parents.

The last rites were performed at Sabbirnagar crematorium as per Islamic tradition, according to family sources.

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Feed suspected to be poisoned; cause for deaths to be known after receiving lab report

Hunsur: Four cows died after allegedly consuming cattle feed at Krishnapura village in the taluk yesterday. It is suspected that feed was poisoned leading to the death of the cows.

The four cows, one of them pregnant, worth about Rs. 3 lakh, belonged to Jayakrishna of the village and were healthy.

It is learnt that Jayakrishna, on Sunday, brought the feed from HSR Ganesh Gold Company Agency at Yachegowdanahalli village in Yelwal hobli and yesterday at about 6 am, gave the feed to a cow. But the cow died within a few minutes of consuming the feed. Assuming that the cow had died of other issues, Jayakrishna buried the cow.

Later, he fed the three cows with the same feed and the three cows also died within minutes of consuming the feed. Jayakrishna, who came to the conclusion that cows died due to the cattle feed, informed the same to Gawadagere Veterinarian Dr. Rajashekarappa, who along with Assistant Veterinarian Dr. Shashidhar, reached the spot and conducted post-mortem.

As it came to be known that the cows died after consuming poisonous feed, Dr. Rajashekharappa collected samples from the dead cows and cattle feed and sent them to a lab.

“The owner of the cows said that the cows died after consuming the feed and also informed that the people in the shop from where the cattle feed was bought had poisoned the feed. Post-mortem revealed that the cows may have died after consuming poisonous feed. Hence samples from the dead cows were collected and sent to the lab for tests. The exact cause for the deaths would be known only after receiving the report. Also, samples of the feed was collected and sent to the lab to ascertain if the feed is fit for cows to consume,” said Dr. Rajashekharappa.

Village leaders K.S. Annaiah Nayak, Nagegowda, Mallesh, K.C. Nataraj, Shivanna, Raju, Krishnachari, K.S. Somashekar and others were present.

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Hunsur/ Hangod: A 58-year-old man was killed in a tiger attack at Ayyankere village in the fringes of Nagarahole National Park, Hunsur taluk in the district last evening.

Ganesh of Uduvepura is the deceased, who met his tragic end when he had gone to graze cattle. While the cows he had been herding returned in the evening, Ganesh didn’t come home. The worried family members went in search of him, only to find the traces of tiger attack and dragging the victim inside the forest. They later informed Forest Department about the incident.

After post-mortem at Hangod PHC, Ganesh’s body was handed over to family members.

DCF Harsha Kumar Chikkanaragund, RFO Subramani, Hunsur Rural Police Station Inspector Ravikumar and staff visited the spot. The irate villagers of Uduvepura and surroundings staged a flash protest against the rising incidents of man-animal conflict, also claiming the lives of cattle of late. They also demanded Forest Dept. to place a cage to trap the big cat, so that the farmers and general public of this part can live peacefully without any fear.

Hunsur MLA G.D. Harish Gowda, who also visited the spot, consoled the grieving family members of Ganesh and gave Rs. 50,000 financial assistance from his pocket.

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