Gudalur: A 58-year-old man was trampled to death by a wild elephant in O’Valley, Gudalur, on Tuesday morning. The victim, Shamsudheen, a resident of Periyar Nagar, was on his way to work when the attack occurred.

Shamsudheen, who worked as a supervisor at the DRC tea estate, was travelling on his scooter around 7:30 am when he encountered the elephant on the road. Abandoning his vehicle, he attempted to flee, but the elephant chased and fatally trampled him. He suffered severe head and external injuries. Locals rushed to help but were forced to retreat as the elephant turned on them. One resident sustained minor injuries while trying to escape.

Shamsudheen was taken to Gudalur District Headquarters Hospital but succumbed to injuries around 9 am. Relatives alleged that he did not receive timely medical intervention and that no doctor was immediately available.

This is the third fatal elephant attack in O’Valley within two months. On August 11, 60-year-old Mani, a fitter at Manjushree Plantations, was killed, and on July 22, 70-year-old Lakshmi was trampled to death near Kolapalli while she was cleaning vessels from the yard. Shamsudheen is survived by his wife, Jamshina, and children Jasmeela and Jamsheer. His funeral will be held Wednesday morning in Kayinth.

Widespread protests; Shops to shut, transport to halt on Thursday

Gudalur witnessed a surge of protests after 58-year-old Shamsudheen, who had managed the O’Valley tea estate for the past 10 years, was killed in a wild elephant attack. His death marked the eighth such fatality in O’Valley within the last three years and the sixth in the Gudalur constituency in just two months.

Only a month earlier, 60-year-old Mani, had been killed in a similar attack. On Tuesday, Shamsudheen met the same fate while travelling along the Periyar Nagar–Kayinth road, where an elephant charged and trampled him. Despite having severe injuries and being taken to Gudalur District Headquarters Hospital, he passed away while receiving treatment.

Relatives alleged negligence, claiming no doctor was available when he was first brought and that timely medical intervention could have saved his life. Criticism was also directed at forest officials, as kumki (trained) elephants had been deployed but failed to prevent further attacks.

Following the death, massive protests broke out. Relatives and residents staged a sit-in on the Ooty–Mysuru National Highway in front of the hospital, blocking traffic. Police led by DSP A. Vasanthakumar intervened, dispersing the protesters and arresting participants.

Political leaders, including MLA Pon Jayaseelan, AIADMK leaders S. Vijayaraj, A. Balachandran, L. Padmanathan, and K. Sudhakaran, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi leader K. Sahadevan, and senior CPM leader N. Vasu, visited the spot to calm the crowd.

Moreover, Gudalur residents continue to face hardships from frequent power outages, non-functional mobile towers, and neglected roads. The national highway between Thorapalli and Silver Cloud up to the Kerala border has not been repaired for seven years and remains riddled with potholes.

In response, the Gudalur Merchants Association announced a 24-hour bandh from 6 a.m on Thursday, demanding urgent government action, association president Abdul Razak said . All shops will remain closed, while auto, jeep, taxi, and lorry drivers have also pledged to join the strike.