Arikompan fans conducted protest march in Idukki

Tribal people of Idukki protested against the translocation of wild tusker Arikompan, demanding its return to its natural habitat. Fans of the tusker marched to the Idukki Collectorate, with the organizers alleging that the Forest Dept. was protecting the interests of resort owners and land encroachers. The protesters vowed to continue their fight until the tusker is brought back.

The fans of wild tusker Arikompan staged a protest march in front of the Idukki collectorate on Friday, demanding that the elephant be brought back to its natural habitat at Chinnakkanal.

Inaugurating the protest march, snake catcher Vava Suresh alleged that Forest department translocated Arikompan from Chinnakkanal to protect the interests of resort owners and land encroachers. The tribal people in Chinnakkanal never raised any complaint against the tusker. The Tamil Nadu Forest department is not providing updates on the tusker’s health condition.

The protesters said they would continue the protest until the tusker is brought back to Chinnakkanal.

According to the organizers, Arikompan fans from various parts of the State participated in the march.

The wild tusker, which used to raid houses and shops at Santhanpara and Chinnakkanal grama panchayats in Idukki for rice, was captured on April 29 and translocated to the Periyar Tiger Reserve on April 30. The Tamil Nadu Forest Department captured the tusker on June 5 and released it at the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.