Wild animal menace: Karshaka Congress workers take out march to Thamarassery forest office

Seeking more field-level actions to counter the wild animal menace, Karshaka Congress activists led by its State president Majoosh Mathews took out a march to the Thamarassery Forest Range office on Monday (July 28).

The protesters who locked horns with the police and crossed the barricade alleged that upland farmers were facing a huge crisis, thanks to poor measures in place to mitigate human-animal conflict.

They also alleged that the affected farmers were not even getting reasonable compensation for crop loss. Vehicular traffic on the State highway was blocked for over half an hour as the agitators burnt Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran in effigy.

The Thamarassery police said they had booked 11 protesters who spearheaded the agitation, which led to damage to public properties worth ₹18,000. They were charged under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Kerala Police Act – 2011, and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act – 1984, the police said.