Two people lost their lives after being attacked by an elephant at the Arulmigu Subramanya Swami Temple in Tiruchendur, located in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi district, on Monday. The victims, identified as the elephant's mahout, Udhaya Kumar, and his relative, Sisubalan, were attacked by the temple elephant, Deivanai reportedly while taking a picture.
Deivanai, a 26-year-old elephant gifted to the temple in 2006, unexpectedly turned aggressive, leaving both men critically injured, as reported by India Today. They were immediately rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed to their injuries.
The incident prompted the Tiruchendur police to initiate an investigation, while temple authorities inspected the site to determine further actions.
#WATCH | Tamil Nadu: Two people killed after being trampled on by an elephant at Arulmigu Subramanya Swami Temple, Tiruchendur in Thoothukudi district. One of the victims was the elephant's mahout, and the other was his relative.
— ANI (@ANI) November 19, 2024
Thoothukudi District Forest Officer Revti Raman… pic.twitter.com/lYdRyGWehH
Thoothukudi District Forest Officer Revti Raman addressed the media, explaining that Deivanai had no history of aggression. He said, "This is a 26-year-old female elephant, Deivanai. In general, it's a very polite animal. Such aggressive behaviour has not been reported in past. So, our team of veterinary experts is checking what actually happened and what led to this kind of incident."
He said that his team is involved in analysing whether is required for their behaviour. "We will definitely take all steps to safeguard the health of the animal as well as health of devotees. They should not be impacted...Our team will be seeing the health condition, behaviour, and all other parameters. After that only we can suggest whether these things would be there," he added.
The temple, one of the six sacred abodes of Lord Murugan, is a popular pilgrimage destination and houses Deivanai as part of its religious traditions.
