Staff Reporter
Sankhali
Tension gripped Morle village in Sattari taluka after 65-year-old farmer Laxman Yashwant Gavas was killed by a wild elephant on Tuesday morning.
The incident triggered widespread outrage among villagers, who are demanding the immediate launch of an elephant capture campaign to address the growing menace of wild elephants in the area.
The villagers alleged that the forest department had failed to act despite repeated appeals over the increasing threat posed by wild elephants.
“How many more lives must be lost before action is taken? Stop looting public funds in the name of surveys and study tours. We want real solutions, not excuses,” an angry villager said. The deceased was on his way to his cashew orchard when he was attacked by a tusker.
The elephant was allegedly feeding on jackfruit in the plantation.
According to eyewitnesses, the elephant charged at Gavas, grabbed him with its trunk, slammed him to the ground and trampled him to death.
Following the incident, angry villagers from Morle refused to allow the removal of Gavas’ body for over eight hours. They stopped forest officers, the police, revenue officials, and local leaders of political parties from leaving the village. The villagers demanded immediate action and accountability from the forest department, insisting that no official would be allowed to leave the village until concrete assurances were given.
Although forest officials informed the villagers that a proposal for an elephant capture fence had been sent from Nagpur to Mumbai and that a formal letter would be issued within a few hours, by 6 pm, no such confirmation was received, further fuelling public anger.
Gavas’ body was finally shifted for post-mortem after eight hours of protest, but tensions continued to run high in the village.
Forest officials said further steps will be taken in consultation with higher authorities.
