2 min readBengaluruMar 2, 2026 05:20 PM ISTPooja had just arrived near her home in Bettathuru village near Madikeri when an elephant charged from behind. (Photo by special arrangement)A wild elephant trampled a 17-year-old pre-university student in Karnataka’s Kodagu district on the evening of February 28 while she was returning home from college.According to sources, Pooja had just arrived near her home in Bettathuru village near Madikeri town when an elephant charged from behind at around 5.30 pm.The elephant trampled Pooja, killing her instantly. Her mother Devaki cried out in desperation upon hearing her screams, but the attack was too swift to prevent. Her father Girish, who had stepped away briefly to park his motorcycle, rushed back to find his daughter lying in a pool of blood.Pooja’s body was transferred to Government Hospital in Madikeri, where a postmortem examination was conducted.The incident triggered intense protests on Sunday. Villagers, farmer organisations, and BJP workers gathered at Madeenadu and blocked the Mysuru–Bantwal National Highway 275, demanding urgent government action. Vehicular movement was disrupted for over two hours, with traffic backed up for kilometres.Madikeri District Forest Officer Abhishek visited Pooja’s family at the hospital and assured them that efforts would be made to capture the elephant that killed her.The Government announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh for Pooja’s family.Story continues below this adAccording to data from the forest department, 254 people have died in wild animal attacks in Karnataka over the last five years. In 2024-25, 42 deaths were reported. Around 70 per cent of the deaths have been reported due to tiger, elephant, and leopard attacks.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd