Elephant found dead in a paddy field in Ponnampet

Madikeri: A wild elephant was found dead in a paddy field in Kurchi village in Ponnampet taluk.Ponnampet range forest officer Gangadhar visited the spot. Authorities said no external injuries were found on the carcass, ruling out foul play. They added that the exact cause of death would be known after the postmortem report. The RFO said the carcass was burnt at the spot.Landless people launch protestMeanwhile, hundreds of landless people have been protesting since Sunday night, demanding land in Kumburu village in Somwarpet taluk.The protest, led by labour organisation president Monnappa, saw the agitators staging a dharna, demanding land to build houses. Of the 29 acres in Survey No. 125/1 under the Garagandur and Kumburu village limits, two acres had earlier been identified for allotment to landless families. However, the land was recently encroached upon, dashing their hopes of owning a plot, Monnappa said.Taluk tahsildar KK Krishnamurthy, taluk executive officer Parameshkumar, and range forest officer Shailendrakumar visited the spot on Sunday night, heard the protesters' grievances, and assured appropriate action. However, the agitators continued their protest.DSP Chandrashekhar, inspector Muddumahadeva, sub-inspectors Mohanraj and Khatija, along with other personnel, were deployed at the spot to maintain security.