This story is from December 4, 2020

10-year-old boy herding cattle killed by crocodile in Karnataka's Raichur

A 10-year-old boy who was herding a cattle at a remote village was killed and eaten by a crocodile. Mallikarjun R’s friends saw him being carried away on Wednesday afternoon, and his remains were found by a river bank on Thursday.
10-year-old boy herding cattle killed by crocodile in Karnataka's Raichur
The boy and six of his friends were grazing cattle near Krishna river
A 10-year-old boy who was herding a cattle at a remote village was killed and eaten by a crocodile. Mallikarjun R’s friends saw him being carried away on Wednesday afternoon, and his remains were found by a river bank on Thursday.
Mallikarjun and six of his friends were herding cattle at D Rampura village near Krishna river as they have been doing for the past few months since schools closed.
All students of the government school, they would graze cattle till evening on the river banks and return home together. On Wednesday, they ate the lunch they carried from home and went to wash and drink from the river when Mallikarjun was attacked.
As he was cupping water, a crocodile grabbed his hand and pulled him away. The children were shocked and shouted for help. By the time villagers arrived, the crocodile vanished with the boy. Coracles were taken out to search for the boy even before police arrived but he could not be traced. Early Thursday morning, the boy’s torso was found near the river bank. A case has been filed in Yapaldinni police station.
The incident has sparked a debate in the village over the need for reopening schools to thwart such incidents. The locals are seemingly angry at the government for closing the school pushing economically backward kids into more trouble.
While the village mourned the boy, locals said the tragedy would not have occurred had the boys been at school. “Children normally do not go near the water except to drink it,” said MD Rafi who accompanied police on the search operation. “The water level in the river has dropped, making it easier for crocodiles to hunt. There are about six crocodiles in this part of the river and children are easy prey. Since schools are closed, many children are now herding cattle for 8-9 hours a day.”
“If schools were opened, this incident would never have happened,” said E Mounesh, another villager. “The parents of this boy are mourning their loss and others are now worried for their children.”
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA