Scores of farmers from Hangala village staged a demonstration at the Bandipur reception counter on Sunday seeking capture and relocation of a wild elephant raiding their crop.
The farmers got embroiled in an argument with the field staff of the Forest Department over the perceived indifference of the officials.
The farmers were agitating on an issue that affected them the most even as the Minister for Forests, Ecology and Environment Eshwar Khandre was discussing human-wildlife conflict at the Inter State Coordination Committee meeting of representatives from Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. “We are practically affected by the issue while the officials are engaged in discussions,” remarked the farmers.
