Tue Feb 25 14:34:30 UTC 2025: ## Arehalli, Karnataka, Holds Bandh After Second Elephant Attack Death This Month

**SHIMOGGA, Karnataka, Feb 25, 2025** – The town of Arehalli in Hassan district observed a complete shutdown on Tuesday in protest against the death of a 28-year-old agricultural laborer, Anil Kumar, in an elephant attack. This marks the second such fatality in the Belur taluk this month, following the death of a 74-year-old woman on February 13th.

Kumar was killed while returning home from work on Monday evening. The bandh, which saw widespread participation from businesses and residents, brought traffic to a standstill on the Arehalli-Belur road. Protesters demanded a permanent solution to the escalating human-elephant conflict plaguing the region. Local farmer’s associations and labor unions voiced their support for the protest.

Following the incident, angry residents confronted local officials, demanding the intervention of Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre. The government provided the victim’s family with a compensation cheque of ₹15 lakh.

Minister Khandre acknowledged the longstanding issue of human-wildlife conflict, citing factors such as decreasing forest cover and a rising elephant population. He highlighted ongoing government initiatives to mitigate the problem, including the installation of tentacle and solar fencing, the digging of trenches, and the completion of 78.917 km of railway barricade. Further work on an additional 41.87 km is underway.

Khandre also noted that Karnataka houses the largest elephant population in India (6,395) and that the state is actively collaborating with neighboring states and engaging in international discussions to address the conflict. A task force has been established to study the issue and propose recommendations.

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