Six Forest Department staff sustained injuries after being assaulted by an angry mob, when they were attempting to retrieve the body of a man who died in an elephant attack at O’Valley in Gudalur late on Saturday night.
The deceased was identified as T. Kalaiselvan, 45. He was part of a team tasked with preparing meals for a temple festival being held in the area. He was attacked by the elephant when he went to fetch water from a well near a wooded area.
Hearing his cries, residents rushed to his aid, but were unable to rescue him. They staged a protest and prevented the Forest Department staff from retrieving his body and sending it for a post-mortem.
As tensions rose, some of the protesters allegedly attacked the Forest Department staff and their vehicles, saying they failed to protect the lives of the local residents.
In the attack, six temporary staff members of the Forest Department sustained injuries. Among them, Rajesh, 50, suffered a broken hand.
