Idukki’s elephant conflict turns deadly again as 29-year-old plantation worker is killed in Santhanpara

A 29-year-old plantation worker from Madhya Pradesh was killed after a wild elephant attacked him on a road in Kerala’s Idukki district, bringing renewed attention to the growing danger posed by elephants straying into areas where plantation workers and residents live and travel.

The victim, identified by police as Sivakumar, a native of Dindori in Madhya Pradesh, was working at a cardamom plantation in the Santhanpara area.

The fatal encounter took place around 8.30 pm on Thursday along the Njangalar-Company Estate Road in Santhanpara. Sivakumar was walking with a friend when the two suddenly encountered a wild elephant that had moved into the area.

His friend managed to escape from the spot, but Sivakumar was attacked by the elephant and suffered fatal injuries.

By the time residents reached the area after the animal moved away, Sivakumar was found dead, police said.

Santhanpara police registered a case of unnatural death on Friday and launched an investigation.

The incident has once again put the spotlight on the vulnerability of people living and working in Idukki’s plantation belt, where roads and estate pathways run through landscapes frequented by wild elephants.

Residents alleged that elephants have been repeatedly entering areas close to homes and plantations, creating fear among people who have to travel along these routes, particularly after dark.

They also said repeated complaints about the threat had not resulted in a permanent solution.

The latest death comes amid a series of elephant-related incidents in Idukki in recent weeks. A plantation worker was killed in a separate wild elephant attack at Pooppara in August, while other recent incidents have involved elephants entering human habitation and damaging property.

The Wildlife Institute of India has noted that increasing pressure from settlements, agriculture, infrastructure and fragmentation of elephant habitats has intensified human-elephant conflict in several parts of India, including Kerala.

In Santhanpara, the immediate concern remains the movement of elephants close to human habitation and plantation routes. Forest department officials are monitoring elephant movements in the area following the latest fatal attack.

For plantation workers like Sivakumar, however, a routine walk along an estate road ended in tragedy, underlining the risks faced by people living and working on the forest fringes of Idukki.