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Elephants run amok at Kozhikode temple festival, 3 die — all you need to know
Elephants run amok at Kozhikode Temple festival: The elephants got agitated after bursting of crackers and started attacking each other during the Manakulangara Temple festival
Elephants run amok at Kozhikode temple festival: In a tragic incident, three elderly persons, including two women, were killed after two elephants ran amok during a Manakulangara Temple festival in Kozhikode district of Kerala on Thursday evening.
The 2 jumbos were loaned by the Board to the Manakulangara Temple near Koyilandy in Kozhikode.
Kozhikode temple festival: What triggered the elephants
The elephants got agitated after the bursting of crackers during the festival.
According to the police, the agitated elephants initially attacked each other and, during their fight, hit a nearby building within the temple premises, causing a wall to collapse on people standing there, leading to the fatalities.
The jumbos then fled the temple premises, causing a stampede as the festival crowd scattered in panic, resulting in injuries to over 20 people.
The injured have been admitted to Koyilandy Taluk Hospital and Kozhikode Medical College Hospital for treatment.
Eyewitnesses said it was a close shave for many as the elephants did not resort to attacking the crowd. The mahouts did not suffer any grave injuries, though they fell down from atop the jumbos.
It took around two hours to tame the two tuskers, named Peethambaran and Gokul.
A large crowd had gathered at the temple on the last day of the festival.
Kerala HC seeks report from state govt
On Friday, the Kerala High Court sought a report from the state government regarding the incident.
A bench of Justices Anil K Narendran and Muralee Krishna S also directed the livestock official of the Guruvayur Devaswom Board to appear before the court with relevant documents, including the feeding records of the two elephants.
The issue was taken up during the hearing of a pending petition filed by a Canada-based Malayali, seeking directions for the proper care of elephants owned by the Guruvayur Devaswom Board.
The court has also sought the stance of the Forest Department and the police on the incident and listed the matter for hearing on February 17.
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First Published:14 Feb 2025, 05:43 PM IST
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