KERALA, (India): Two people were killed in separate elephant rampage incidents at temple festival sites in Kerala on Friday (May 1).
The tragic incidents occurred at the Kidangoor Sree Mahavishnu Temple in Angamaly and the Koodalmanikyam Temple in Irinjalakuda, leaving a lorry driver and a mahout dead, sparking renewed safety concerns.
The first incident occurred at the Kidangoor Sree Mahavishnu Temple near Angamaly in the Ernakulam district during routine morning activities after festival duties.
The elephant named Mayyanad Parthasarathy turned violent while being taken for watering at around 9.15am.
The elephant grabbed Vishnu, the lorry driver from Kollam who had transported the elephant to the site, with its trunk, trampled him, and repeatedly gored him, leading to his instant death.
The primary mahout, Pradeep, was also seriously injured while trying to intervene and is currently in the intensive care unit at a local hospital.
The agitated animal destroyed a car by flipping it multiple times and damaged several two-wheelers on the temple premises.
After nearly four hours of chaos, an Elephant Squad from the Forest Department successfully tranquilised the jumbo around noon.
In another fatal incident later on the same day, Sreekuttan (25) a mahout, was killed at the Koodalmanikyam Temple,Irinjalakuda in the Thrissur district.
The elephant, Vazhavady Kasinathan, had already shown signs of aggression during a ritual procession the previous night.
On Friday afternoon, it broke through its makeshift enclosure and attacked its handlers.
Sreekuttan, the second mahout was trampled on the chest and succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at the Irinjalakuda General Hospital.
The first mahout, Amal (28), also sustained injuries and remains under medical care.
The dual tragedies have intensified the ongoing debate regarding the use of captive elephants in temple festivals.
These events have triggered widespread panic among devotees and local residents, leading to the temporary suspension of festival proceedings at both locations. - The Statesman/ANN
