Summons issued to 19 people for obstructing last rites of elephant Arjuna

HASSAN: The Sakleshpur First Class JMFC Court has issued summons to 19 individuals accused of obstructing the funeral of elephant Arjuna, who died during a wild elephant capture operation on December 4, 2023. The next hearing is scheduled for December 30, 2025.

A case had been filed against 19 individuals for allegedly obstructing the funeral of elephant Arjuna, who died during a wild elephant capture operation in Sakleshpur taluk’s Dabbalikatte reserve forest on December 4, 2023.

The incident occurred on December 5, 2023, when a group of people opposed the burial of Arjuna’s body in the reserve forest, demanding that it be cremated elsewhere and a memorial be erected. They allegedly blocked an excavator and assaulted officials, prompting a police constable to file a complaint.

The court has issued summons to the 19 accused, including Vikram, Yedehalli Manjunath, Udaya, Naveen, Nagaraju, Shodan, Ravi, Akash, Ratan, Kiran, Anand, Devaraju, Triven Gowda, Jayappa, Santosh, Sachin, Jagadish, Manu and Mithun, to appear before the court on December 30.