Overview
- A 24-year-old woman identified as Anitha died after falling onto rocky terrain at the Uchipillayar hilltop shrine in Kazhugumalai while visiting the Kalugasalamoorthy temple with her husband.
- Preliminary police work indicates she slipped after a group of monkeys surrounded her as the couple reportedly fed them, and investigators have registered a case and are verifying the sequence of events.
- Local residents and temple authorities helped recover the body and it was moved to a government hospital for a post-mortem examination while the husband, Suresh, is cited as a key eyewitness.
- Eyewitnesses said visitors rushed to help but she could not be saved and videos circulating online show the scene and the husband’s distress at the site.
- The incident has renewed attention to a wider problem of growing monkey presence at Tamil Nadu hill temples and the risks of feeding wild animals, which authorities have repeatedly warned can lead to aggressive behaviour and accidents and may prompt new safety measures.