Kerala Congress MLA Detained During Protests Over Man-Animal Conflicts

The police detained Kerala Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan after he organized a protest against CM Pinarayi Vijayan-led government over rising human-animal conflicts in the southern state, which have led to injuries and deaths of multiple residents.

The residents of Kothamangalam in Idukki district had also participated in the protest on Monday over the death of a woman in an elephant attack in the area. During the protest police detained Kuzhalnadan and Ernakulam District Congress Committee president Mohammed Shiya. Later, the two leaders were released on bail.

Criticising the government, Kuzhalnadan said “The Pinarayi government has gone mad. I don’t know for what reason they are doing this all. This incident has fueled our determination to continue the protest against the Pinarayi government’s questionable actions. We are committed to advancing the cause and agitating until a satisfactory solution is achieved.” The congress MLA also said that the protest was aimed at addressing the recurring issue of animal-human conflicts in the state that results in the loss of both humans and wildlife, loss of crops, damage and destruction of habitat etc.

‘The deceased lady’s husband and her son both agreed to participate in the protest because many people are suffering from similar incidents. They expressed their concern, sharing that such an incident had affected their family, and they wanted to prevent others from experiencing the same fate. During the protest, I spoke to the minister and concerned officials, who assured us they would propose positive measures. Due to the minister’s inability to attend, a senior CCF and the collector were sent to discuss with us. I invited them to the protest site, but the collector suggested discussing matters at the PWD rest house.’ Kuzhalnadan said. He also accused Kerala Police of unduly taking action against the protestors without any provocation, including the forceful detention of the DCC president.

The deceased woman in Idukki was identified as Indira Ramakrishnan. The 70-year old woman had gone into a rubber plantation near the forest when the elephant attacked her. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, but succumbed to her injuries, police said. This is the fifth such incident in the state this year. Owing to a rising spree of conflicts Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on February 22 held a high-level meeting with the state and central officials at the District Collector’s office in Wayanad district of Kerala.