Bengaluru, Sep 28: A 60-year-old man was killed in a suspected wild elephant attack near Anchepalya, off Mysuru Road in Bengaluru, on Monday.

The deceased has been identified as Nagaraj, a resident of Anchepalya. The incident occurred around 5.30 a.m. when Nagaraj had reportedly stepped out for his morning walk. He was rushed to a hospital for treatment, but succumbed to his injuries.

The incident was reported from behind Rajarajeshwari Medical College near Kengeri, an area under the Kaggalipura Forest zone. Forest officials suspect the wild elephant may have entered the area from the nearby Bannerghatta forest region.

The Forest Department has launched a search operation to trace the elephant, which disappeared after the incident. The presence of the elephant has triggered fear among local residents, with people reportedly hesitant to venture out of their homes.

Police and local residents suspect that Nagaraj was attacked by the elephant after two compound walls at the spot were found collapsed. CCTV footage from the area has also captured the movement of an elephant. The footage reportedly shows the animal moving at speed around 5.11 a.m.

Officials have also gathered information about another person who had gone out for a morning walk and reportedly escaped the elephant at the last moment.

Meanwhile, family members of the deceased and villagers staged a protest at RR Hospital, expressing outrage over the alleged negligence of the Forest Department. They demanded that the Forest Minister visit the spot and announce immediate compensation for Nagaraj’s family, which has four daughters.

“He went out for a walk at around 5.30 a.m. today. Someone came and informed us that Nagaraj had been attacked by a wild elephant, following which we rushed to the spot. We go for morning walks every day, but this tragedy happened today. The elephant had never come anywhere near our area,” family members said.

Deceased Nagaraj’s daughter, Shobha, stated, “We had also gone for a walk and were walking behind him. Someone known to us alerted us that an elephant was roaming in the area. We ran away and asked him where my father was. He told us that my father had gone ahead, and he then ran back out of fear. After some time, we went in search of our father.

I screamed, ‘Appa’, but he did not respond. By then, the elephant had attacked him. There was a compound wall, and there was no way for him to escape. It attacked him. We have been going for morning walks for the past three years, almost every day, and no such incident had taken place before.”

A case has been registered at Kumbalgodu Police Station, and further investigation is underway.

It can be recalled that a 33-year-old tourist from Chennai was killed at Karnataka’s Dubare Elephant Camp in Kodagu district when two captive elephants clashed during a river bath, causing one to fall on her. Following this and other wild elephant conflicts in the region, the state government banned tourist interaction and mandated strict new safety distances.

Kolkata, Sep 28: Three FIRs have been registered till Monday morning in connection with the violent clashes that broke out at the campus of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) between members of Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP) and students on Sunday, which left several people injured.

According to police, of the three FIRs, one has been filed by the ABGP members and the second by a section of students of SRFTI. The third FIR has been registered suo motu by the police. No one has been detained or arrested in this connection so far.

Meanwhile, tension continued to prevail at the SRFTI campus after Sunday’s clashes, which intermittently lasted for around seven to eight hours. A huge police contingent has been deployed outside the campus to prevent further escalation.

The violence broke out at around 1 p.m. on Sunday, when the ABGP programme was underway at the SRFTI campus and a group of activists belonging to the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the students’ wing of the CPI(M), arrived at the programme venue.

SFI activists reportedly questioned the organisers about the holding of the programme in the auditorium. The organisers accused the SFI activists of tearing down the pictures and banners of Bharat Mata and Swami Vivekananda.

However, the SFI activists claimed that the SRFTI management permitted AVGP to hold the programme without informing them. They also accused the organisers of calling them “militants” and “Bangladeshis”. They claimed that the SFI members were assaulted for protesting against this.

On the other hand, ABGP accused the SFI activists of disrupting their programme without any provocation. They alleged that SFI members raised “Azadi: slogans. ABGP also claimed that they had permission from the authorities for holding the programme.

A large police force, led by the divisional Deputy Commissioner of Police concerned, rushed to the spot after receiving information about the clashes. Tensions escalated further in the presence of the police, with reports of scuffles involving students and event organisers.

Some students also accused the police of recording the names and residential details of complainants instead of taking immediate action against those responsible for the violence. They expressed fears of possible harassment and demanded the immediate registration of cases against the accused. A section of students staged a protest around a police vehicle in support of their demand.

Mumbai, Sep 28: The Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has written to Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, raising concerns over alleged extortion and corruption within the department.

In his letter dated September 27, Raut commended Mundhe’s crackdowns on adulterated food, fake dairy products, and unhygienic hotel kitchens. However, he cautioned that corrupt FDA officials are using these actions to target local businesses for extortion.

Raut, who posted his letter on Monday morning on his X account, alleged that Designated Officers (DOs) and Food Safety Officers (FSOs) are threatening hotels, restaurants, and quick-commerce businesses with license suspensions to demand heavy bribes.

He also claimed “rates” for closing notices have skyrocketed. According to the letter, the rate to settle a “Closing Notice” has surged from Rs 10,000-Rs 12,000 to anywhere between Rs 75,000 and Rs 2,00,000 following recent high-profile enforcement actions.

Raut identified the FDA Headquarters in Bandra and its Thane office as primary centres for these activities. He said he has received numerous complaints from small business owners across Nagpur, Pune, Solapur, Wardha, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

The letter highlighted an incident in Thane where two DOs allegedly demanded Rs 17-Rs 18 lakh from a quick-commerce company to reinstate a suspended license.

Raut also criticised suspensions triggered by unverified social media complaints, such as rodent sightings, without proper independent verification. Raut claimed that while small food vendors face harsh actions, large pharmaceutical companies with serious non-compliance issues often escape scrutiny due to political backing and corporate influence.

Raut has appealed to Mundhe to conduct an immediate investigation into the alleged “Closing Notice rate card” and license restoration rackets in Bandra, Thane, and other regional offices. He demanded that mandatory physical verification is needed before conducting raids based on customer complaints to prevent fake allegations.

He also called upon Mundhe to initiate strict disciplinary action against officers who bypass statutory due process to extort funds, launch a standalone probe into the specific Rs 17-Rs 18 lakh extortion claim involving the Thane DOs, and digitally publish all details, dates, hearing summaries, and justifications regarding license suspensions and restorations to ensure accountability.

In the letter, Raut stressed that public health protection must not become a cover for extortion, urging Mundhe to clean up his own department alongside his public enforcement actions.

Raut has forwarded a copy of the letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also.