Kerala rights panel seeks report on mahout killed by jumbo at elephant rehabilitation centre in Kottoor

The Kerala State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) on Saturday sought a report on the steps taken to provide compensation to the family of the mahout killed by a jumbo at the Kottoor Elephant Rehabilitation Centre two days ago.

The commission chairperson Alexander Thomas also sought to know whether any preventive measures have been taken to ensure such an incident does not recur. The report was sought from the conservator of the Agasthyavanam Biological Park within which the elephant rehabilitation centre is located.

The incident

The direction comes two days after Vishnu, the mahout, was killed by a jumbo at the rehabilitation centre while he was bathing the elephant at the nearby Neyyar dam reservoir.

The commission’s order came in a case registered by it based on newspaper reports of the incident. The panel also directed the conservator to inform it about what he found in his investigation into the incident. It directed that the report be submitted before the commission within a month and listed the matter to be taken up next on March 24.

The panel said that on the next date, a representative of the conservator should be present before it.

The jumbo had hit Vishnu with its trunk, pushing him under the water, and he drowned as a result, the police had said.