Wayanad: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra faced protests on Tuesday from CPM workers during her visit to the district, following the tragic death of a woman, Radha, who was killed by a tiger in Mananthavady village last week.

As Priyanka's motorcade made its way through Kaniyaram, local CPM workers waved black flags and shouted "Go back," voicing their frustration over her delayed visit to the area. The workers criticised the Wayanad MP for allegedly taking too long to return to the district after the fatal tiger attack, especially given her position as the elected representative from the constituency. 

The incident that triggered the protests occurred on January 24, when Radha was killed by a tiger while collecting coffee beans at the Priyadarshini Estate in Mananthavady. The tiger, later identified as a 'man-eater,' was found dead before Priyanka's visit. An autopsy revealed the presence of Radha's hair, clothing, and earrings in the tiger’s stomach. 

Priyanka Gandhi, who arrived in Wayanad at 11:30 a.m. via Kannur airport, visited Radha's home later in the afternoon. She was accompanied by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President K Sudhakaran, AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal, and other Congress leaders. 

After meeting the victim's family, Priyanka addressed the press, stating, "We should all work together to be able to provide safety and a reasonable sense of confidence amongst the people here because this is being faced again and again. It is not just Radha, 3 other people also have been affected by this just in the last month...in this area particularly, there are a lot of problems. We are working towards finding a reasonable solution which safeguards human lives."

She added, "Radha's family felt that they want more locals involved as watchmen, they felt that the local community has a much better understanding of forest and animals and they would be able to help and I agree with them...the funds that are coming from the centre and state are inadequate, they need much more funding to do the mitigation properly. I will raise this matter in the Parliament and with whoever I can raise this issue with."

In response to the tragic incident, the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly, V D Satheesan, also visited the victim’s family and condemned the state government’s handling of wildlife-related issues.