A Class 8 student was seriously injured after being attacked by a wild gaur while waiting for transport to school at Marayur in Idukki, Keraal, on Thursday morning.

​According to local residents, the incident occurred around 8:30 a.m. at Pallanad on the Munnar-Udumalpet highway near Marayur. The victim has been identified as Karthik Pandi, a student at a nearby school.

​The boy was waiting for an autorickshaw to take him to school when a wild gaur suddenly emerged and attacked him. The severely injured student was initially admitted to the Government Hospital in Marayur before being shifted to a private hospital in Thodupuzha for advanced care.

Residents protest

​In protest against the attack, local residents staged a road blockade on the Marayur-Udumalpet interstate highway, demanding immediate action to mitigate the rising number of wild animal attacks in the Marayur and Kanthalloor regions.

The demonstration was later called off after Forest Department officials arrived at the scene and assured the community that measures would be taken to address the situation.