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A retired government official was trampled to death by a wild elephant when he was at his farm near the Western Ghats at Puliyarai in Tenkasi district on Monday (November 9, 2026).

Police said Subbaiah (68), a retired government employee from Puliyarai in the district, had gone to his ranch behind the Dhakshinamurthy Temple on Monday morning. As a wild elephant had camped in his field, it chased and trampled him to death on the spot around 9 a.m.

As the passers-by saw the body, they alerted the villagers and the forest personnel, who rushed to the spot.

However, the agitated family members, relatives and the villagers prevented the forest personnel and the police from retrieving the body of Subbaiah. After prolonged talks with the protestors, the body was taken for a post-mortem after 12 noon.

Kadayanallur MLA T.M. Rajendran, in a memorandum to District Collector Monika Rana, appealed to her to take immediate steps to give due compensation to the family of the deceased.

He also urged the Forest Department to initiate effective measures to prevent the entry of wild animals, especially wild elephants and the Indian gaurs, into the fields causing negative man-animal interactions and consequent fatal attacks.

Puliyarai police have registered a case.

Published – November 09, 2026 01:24 pm IST