Kozhikode, Feb 13 (IANS) Tragedy struck the Kuruvangad Manakkulangara Temple at Koyilandi near Kozhikode on Thursday late evening as two elephants ran amok killing three, injuring seven seriously and another 22 people.
The deceased include two women — 65-year-old Leela and 70-year-old Ammukutty and Rajan. According to local legislator K. Jameela, trouble started when the crackers was burst as part of the temple festival.
Following this, two elephants got annoyed and started to take on each other.
With this happening the huge crowd of devotees ran helter-skelter and the two elephants ran into a building after which the construction building came down killing three people.
By then, the people also got terrified and panicky and in the stampede like atmosphere, more people got trapped.
Due to this seven people have been seriously injured and 22 others are also injured.
Jameela said that the state run hospital at Koyilandi has been directed to give the best treatment to the injured.
Incidentally, the incident happened at a time when the Supreme Court in December last year stayed the guidelines issued by Kerala High Court on parading or gathering of elephants at festivals.
Earlier it was a division bench of the Kerala High Court had imposed strict restrictions on elephant parade, directing that a three meter distance be maintained between elephants, and eight meters between elephants and percussion ensemble at festivals.
However it was the Supreme Court bench comprising Justice B.V. Nagaratna and Justice N.K. Singh observed that the restrictions imposed by the High Court, contrary to the Kerala Captive Elephants (Management and Maintenance) Rules, 2012, were impractical.
The bench noted that the High Court should not have exercised suo motu powers in the case.
It was the High Court bench of Justice A.K. Jayashankaran Nambiar and Justice P. Gopinath had in the November 13 judgment observed that the use of elephants in festivals was not an essential religious practice.
–IANS
sg/pgh