Kannur: Tension prevailed in the Aralam area of Kannur district on Monday after residents protested against wild animal attacks, blocking the ambulance carrying the bodies of a tribal couple which had been killed in a wild elephant attack on Sunday.

The protesters demanded that the bodies should not be taken home until Forest Minister A K Saseendran arrived at the location.

Despite discussions held by political leaders, including Kannur MP K Sudhakaran, MLA Sajeev Joseph, and CPI(M) district secretary M V Jayarajan, the protesters refused to budge.

Locals blocked the ambulance by placing trees and stones on the road and staged a sit-in protest.

Later, the bodies of Velli (80) and his wife Leela (75) were cremated at 8 PM after Saseendran reached the location at around 7.30 PM on Monday and held discussions with the locals.

The minister informed them about the decision to construct a wall to check wild elephant incursion. He also assured that necessary steps would be taken to prevent such incidents from recurring.

MP Sudhakaran, MLAs Sunny Joseph and Sajeev Joseph, and other officials were also present.

The ambulance was allowed to proceed only after the minister’s assurances.

The tragedy occurred on Sunday evening, when Velli and Leela were trampled to death by a wild elephant while collecting cashew nuts at Aralam Farm, Block 13, Karikkamukku.

Since the elephant remained near the bodies for a long time, it was initially impossible to retrieve them. The recovery attempt later led to intensified protests.

During late-night discussions, Sub-Collector Karthik Panigrahi and MLA Sunny Joseph were also blocked by protesters.

The police had to forcibly disperse the crowd to rescue them around 11 pm. Finally, at 11.30 pm, the bodies were shifted to the hospital.

Meanwhile, an all-party meeting, chaired by the Forest Minister, was held at Aralam Panchayat.

The government announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh for the family of the deceased.

In response to the incident, the UDF and BJP observed a hartal in Aralam Panchayat on Monday.

In a related development, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has convened a high-level meeting to assess the measures taken to address human-wildlife conflict.

The meeting will be held on February 27 at the Secretariat, according to an official release in Thiruvananthapuram.

Ministers and bureaucrats from the departments of Forest, Finance, Local Self-Government, Electricity, Revenue, Health, and Irrigation will attend the meeting.

Senior officials from the Forest and Wildlife Department, the State Police Chief, and the Member Secretary of the State Disaster Management Authority will also participate.

The meeting will review the measures taken so far to mitigate human-wildlife conflict, the release added.