Local people of Chinnakkanal blocked the entry of the fans of tusker Arikompan at Cement Palam in Idukki on Sunday. The fans had reached the area to visit the primary habitat of the wild tusker.
Arikompan was captured from Chinnakkanal on April 29 and translocated to Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Thekkady on April 30. Later, the Tamil Nadu Forest department again captured the tusker and released it to the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) in Tamil Nadu.
Protesting against such moves, the fans group announced a Devikulam Forest office march on July 16. They wanted to visit the tribal settlements in the area to ensure the support of the tribal people for their protest. But the local people in the region questioned the move, resulting in a war of words between them and the Arikompan fans.
However, Kerala Independent Farmers Association (KIFA) Idukki district committee member P.N. Sunil said the local people only questioned the demand of Arikomapan fans to bring back Arikompan to Chinnakkanal.
Santhanpara Station House Officer (SHO) Manoj Kumar said the police team visited the spot of the duel, and no case was registered concerning the incident.
Devikulam range officer P.V. Vegi said that the Forest department had not yet received any notice over the protest of the Arikompan fans.
