During the concluding ceremony of Tharakkal temple festival in Thrissur, chaos ensued as an elephant named Guruvayur Ravikrishnan went berserk during the 'Ammathiruvady' deity procession. At around 10:30 pm on Friday night, panic spread among devotees as the enraged elephant chased another elephant, creating a tense situation.
According to sources, a confrontation took place between Guruvayur Ravikrishnan and another elephant, Puthuppally Arjunan, participating in the procession for the deity of Arattupuzha. The elephant's mahout, Sreekumar (53), narrowly escaped three attacks by the rampaging animal but sustained minor injuries. He was quickly rushed to a private hospital in Koorkenchery for treatment.
Witnesses reported that attendees ran for safety as the chaos unfolded while some people riding on the elephants being thrown to the ground and sustaining injuries. Despite the pandemonium, efforts were made to bring the situation under control, culminating in an hour-long struggle to calm the rampaging elephant.
Following the incident, temple devotees and authorities emphasized the need for stricter safety measures during such events involving elephants.
The incident has come at a time when man-animal conflicts have taken centre stage during Lok Sabha election 2024 campaign.
Last month, a man lost his life in an attack by a stray wild elephant in the Kannimala estate near Munnar, located in the Idukki district. The incident also left two others including a mother and her daughter injured. This conflict occurred shortly after two other individuals were fatally attacked by wild elephants in separate incidents in Wayanad. The deceased has been identified as 44-year-old Suresh Kumar, also known as Mani, who worked as an autorickshaw driver in the Kannimala Top Division area.
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