The Forest and Revenue departments came up with contradictory reports on Friday about the circumstances that provoked two captive elephants on the premises of Manakulangara Devi Temple, near Kuruvangad, at Koyilandy and led to the death of three persons in a stampede-like situation on Thursday.
While the Forest department indicated that a minor friction between the two jumbos triggered the incident, Revenue officials pointed to suspected violation of the Kerala Captive elephants (Management and Maintenance Rules), 2023 while bursting firecrackers during the temple festival.
The Forest department framed its preliminary report based on a number of video footage gathered from the spot. R. Keerthi, Conservator of Forests (Social Forestry), inspected the site. She told reporters that a detailed investigation would be carried out. The statements of the injured would be recorded after visiting them in hospitals.
Though the mahouts and some of the eyewitnesses claimed that the elephants went berserk after hearing the sound of firecrackers, the Forest squad stood by its assumption that it was the disquiet among the two jumbos that triggered the incident. However, they said a final report would be submitted only after examining multiple factors.
Meanwhile, the report of the Revenue department stated that some provisions of the Kerala Captive elephants (Management and Maintenance Rules), 2023 which ban the bursting of crackers near elephants for ceremonial purpose were violated. Video footage which reportedly substantiated the finding were also collected from the squad.
Revenue sources said a meeting was also held in the presence of the Additional District Magistrate to review the preliminary assumptions.
The reports would be submitted to Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran. The Minister had sought an emergency report after the incident that also left 34 people injured. It was around 5.30 p.m. on Thursday that the two elephants ran amok at the festival venue.
The three victims — Thaikkandy Ammukkutty, 78, Thazhekkuni Leela, 65, and Vadakkayil Rajan, 70, — were cremated at their home town Koyilandy on Friday evening.
Their post-mortem procedures were completed at the Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, by noon.
According to preliminary police report, Leela succumbed to head injuries reportedly sustained from direct attack of the elephants. The other two were reportedly caught under a building destroyed by the jumbos.
On Friday, a dawn-to-dusk hartal was observed atn nine wards of Koyilandy municipality to condole their death.
Minister for Local Administration M.B. Rajesh visited their houses and consoled the family members. Mr. Saseendran would visit the spot and the houses of the victims on Saturday.
