ALAPPUZHA: A tusker in the parayeduppu ritual at the Varanad Devi Temple festival in Cherthala ran amok causing a trail of destruction on Sunday. It terrorised a three-kilometre area for two hours, but there was no casualty. Police said Venattumadam Sreekumar turned restive after a stray dog came across its way while attending the ritual in town around 10.30 am.
It disobeyed commands of mahouts and sprinted in the length and breadth of town. Smelling danger, Kannan Potty, the priest, who was sitting atop the elephant, jumped off. Then it ran through X-Ray Junction, police quarters, Anjilipalam, Vallayil and Purushan Kavala, destroyed a compound wall of a house and managed to cross the National Highway (NH) thrice, forcing the police to block vehicles. It also took a stroll through pocket roads and many house premises.
Later mahouts tethered the elephant with chain near Purushan Kavala. The firefighters gave a water bath soon after it came under control and taken to Pala. Police, revenue and forest officials also reached the spot. Sumi Joseph, assistant conservator of forest (ACF), said the range officer had verified the data available with the owner and allowed him to shift the elephant. “We'll verify the data on Monday," she said
