WATCH | Viral video from Ahmedabad Rath Yatra shows rogue elephant running amok, two injured
The 148th Jagannath Rath Yatra celebrations in Ahmedabad on Friday took a scary turn when two people were injured after a male elephant broke a barricade and rushed into a narrow lane in the Khadia area, as per officials.
The rogue elephant is said to have been agitated after listening to the loud DJ music and the noises of the large crowd. However, mahouts on two other elephants followed and controlled the situation, ensuring that the rest of the sacred procession went as planned, explained R.K. Sahu, superintendent of Kankaria Zoo in the city, as per a PTI report.
In the viral video, the elephant can be seen breaking a barricade and running into a crowd before entering a narrow lane.
One person was treated on-site, while another was taken to the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, officials said.
The annual procession began in Ahmedabad on Friday morning, with thousands of devotees lined up in the streets as the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra from the 400-year-old Jagannath Temple were pulled along a 16-kilometre-long route. Beginning at around 7AM, the grand procession is expected to be completed by 8 PM after making its way through the city.
The procession usually has 17 elephants, 100 trucks, and 30 akhadas (local gymnasiums).
Only one among these elephants is male, said Sahu, who is responsible for checking the health of these elephants and issuing fitness certificates ahead of the event.
The elephant was quickly brought under control without the help of a tranquiliser. The male and the two female elephants were then kept together in the area, and it was decided that they would no longer take part in the procession, which went ahead after this brief disruption, Sahu explained.
He added that personnel from the Kankaria Zoo, the forest department and veterinary doctors are keeping a close watch on the elephants, and that three teams have been deployed on the route with tranquilising guns.
Authorities opted to continue with the loud DJ music, as the yatra—secured by 23,000 police personnel, 41 drones, and 25 AI cameras—resumed without further disruption. Devotees calso resumed their chants as the procession moved forward.
India