A 65-year-old farmer was trampled to death by a wild elephant while guarding his farm in the Kadambur forest range of the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Erode district in the early hours of Sunday, triggering protests by villagers who demanded measures to prevent recurring human-elephant conflict.The deceased was identified as Thangavel, a resident of Irattipalayam village in Guthiyalathur panchayat.The officials said that Thangavel left his house around midnight to keep watch over his farm. When he did not return home by morning, his son went in search of him and found him dead in the field with severe injuries.Police and Forest Department personnel rushed to the spot and, following an inquiry, concluded that Thangavel had been trampled by a lone elephant that had entered the farm during the night.When officials attempted to shift the body to the Government Hospital in Sathyamangalam for post-mortem examination, the victim’s relatives and villagers staged a protest, refusing to allow the body to be taken away.The protesters demanded that thorny bushes along the roadside be cleared to improve visibility and urged the Forest Department to capture and relocate the elephant responsible for the attack.Forest officials held talks with the protesters and assured them that roadside vegetation would be cleared from Monday.Following the assurance, the villagers withdrew their protest, after which the body was sent for post-mortem examination. Published - July 19, 2026 05:37 pm IST