Overview
- Pooja, a pre-university student from Bettathur near Madikeri, was killed on February 28 when a wild elephant charged near her home.
- She was returning with her mother at around 5:30 pm, and a postmortem was conducted at the government hospital in Madikeri.
- Villagers, farmer groups and BJP workers blocked National Highway 275 for over two hours, demanding stronger protections and action from authorities.
- Forest officials dispatched a Rapid Response Team and said they are working to push the elephant back into the forest, with capture efforts indicated by the district officer.
- The state announced Rs 20 lakh compensation for the family, and forest department data show 254 deaths from wild-animal attacks in five years, including 42 in 2024–25.