A mahout was injured after an elephant turned violent during a religious gathering at Annamanada Mahadeva Temple in Thrissur district — a video of the incident is now doing the rounds on the internet.
The decorated elephant had been brought into the temple premises as part of a religious procession. As preparations were underway to place the idol of the deity atop the elephant, the massive animal turned violent, grabbed 26-year-old mahout assistant Vivek with its trunk, and flung him into the air.
The mahout was able to bring the elephant back under control soon after the incident, preventing further harm. The injured assistant, however, sustained serious injuries and was immediately taken to a hospital, where he is currently undergoing treatment.
The incident has once again sparked concerns about safety arrangements during temple festivals involving elephants, particularly at crowded religious gatherings.
Policeman trampled to death by wild elephant
Meanwhile, in Arunachal Pradesh, a policeman was trampled to death by a wild elephant on Sunday.
ASI Martin Lego (40) of Sunpura Police Station, along with two friends, had gone to the Lohit River riverbank for an outing on Saturday.
At around 10.30 am, they encountered the elephant, and while his friends managed to escape, Lego was trampled to death by the pachyderm, Lohit Superintendent of Police (SP) Thutan Jamba said.
An unnatural death case has been registered at Sunpura Police Station, and the body, after the conduct of a post-mortem examination, was handed over to his family for the last rites, the SP added.
No incident of an elephant attack had been reported in the Sunpura area in the past.
Jamba said he has spoken to the DC for issuance of advisory asking villagers to avoid venturing into forested or riverine areas as a precautionary measure.
The forest department has also said that efforts will be initiated to locate and capture the elephant, the SP said, adding that the animal might have been injured, which could have triggered its aggressive behaviour.
(With inputs from news agency PTI)
