Overview

• R. Basavaraj stepped out of his vehicle on NH 67 inside Bandipur Tiger Reserve to take a selfie with a wild elephant, was charged and trampled but suffered only minor scrapes despite sensational tabloid reports.
• A foreign tourist’s video of the encounter went viral, enabling forest officials to identify and trace Basavaraj to his Nanjangud home.
• The Karnataka Forest Department fined him Rs. 25,000 and secured a signed admission of guilt warning visitors against stopping or alighting in the reserve.
• Basavaraj’s recorded cautionary statement is being shared across social media as part of a public awareness campaign to deter risky wildlife interactions.
• Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre directed deployment of highway-style patrol units on reserve roads to enforce the ban on vehicle stoppages near wildlife.