Bear kills man in Tumakuru dist

Mangalore Today News Network

Madhugiri (Tumakuru dist), Nov 18, 2014, DHNS: A bear attack left one dead and another severely injured at Sarkari Halla near Shobenahalli in the Madhugiri taluk of Tumakuru district on Monday.

Somanna, 45, was killed by the male bear hiding in the bushes, when he went to the ravine to collect tubers around 11 in the morning.

The animal struck a second time, injuring another man, who was among the several onlookers gathered at the site to catch a glimpse of the killer bear after the news spread. Cops later shot the bear dead.

Somanna was a resident of the Channamallanahalli village of Midigeshi hobli in Madhugiri taluk.
The injured, Timmaiah (55) is a valveman from Garani gram panchayat. He has been admitted to District Hospital at Tumakuru.

After Somanna was killed, a large number of people from neighbouring villages thronged the place. The bear stayed put, despite the swelling crowd.

The police, too, arrived at the scene, trying to control the curious onlookers. The cops also made a futile attempt to catch the animal. The ensuing commotion agitated the bear. It pounced on the crowd, catching hold of Timmaiah.

Though the police fired in the air to distract the bear and rescue him, it didn’t let go of the man.

The police, fearing the wrath of the irate crowd, fired at the bear and killed it. Timmaiah was rushed to hospital.

Later, locals staged a protest with the body of Somanna at Shobenahalli Road in the taluk, demanding compensation for the families of the deceased and the injured.

They withdrew the protest after Deputy Conservator of Forest M V Amarnath visited the spot and handed over a cheque of Rs 2 lakh to the family of Somanna and promised relief to Timmaiah’s family. 

The operation to catch the animal was conducted by a team led by DySP P G Guruswamy and CPI C Girish Nayak.  SP Raman Gupta and tahsildar K Ramesh visited the spot.