Kerala: Mathrubhoomi camera person killed in wild elephant attack

In a shocking incident, a cameraperson of a leading Malayalam news channel was killed in a wild elephant attack while reporting in Palakkad district in northern Kerala on Wednesday.

A.V. Mukesh (34) of Mathrubhumi News was seriously injured in the attack when he and the channel's reporter were capturing visuals of the movement of a stray elephant herd, channel sources said.

Tragedy struck the hapless Mukesh as he was shooting visuals of the animals crossing a river in a location between Malambuzha and Kanjikode, an area that witnesses frequent stray wild elephants, locals said.

Though the reporter and the driver of their vehicle managed to run to safety, Mukesh was attacked and seriously injured by an elephant. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but could not be saved, they said.

Originally from Parappanangadi in Malappuram district, Mukesh had been working in the Palakkad bureau of Mathrubhumi News for the past year. He had also been part of the channel's New Delhi bureau for several years.

Mukesh also proved his skills in reporting by writing over 100 articles in Mathrubhumi online as part of a column titled 'Athijeevanam', in which he wrote about the lives of marginalised people.

His colleagues remembered that his articles in the column helped invite the attention of authorities and the general public to the plight of the poor and marginalised.

They also said Mukesh used to provide financial assistance to those persons whom he had mentioned in his column by saving money from his salary. He is survived by his wife.

Meanwhile, Kerala governor Arif Mohammed Khan, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, leader of the Opposition in the Assembly V.D. Satheesan and ministers A.K. Saseendran, M.B. Rajesh, Saji Cheriyan and others condoled his shocking demise.

"Heartfelt condolences on the sad death of Sri A.V Mukesh, columnist & Cameraman, @mathrubhuminews in an elephant attack. His writing reflected a deep commitment to the uplift of the poor. May his soul attain Mukti," Khan said in a post on X.