The elephant, named Skandan, was owned by a Subrahmanya temple. The deceased mahout was identified as 53-year-old Muralidharan Nair.
According to police, the elephant was in musth, a periodic condition in male elephants marked by highly aggressive behavior. On Sunday, Skandan attacked one of its handlers, Sunil Kumar, who was seriously injured and hospitalized. Muralidharan Nair was able to get the elephant under control at that time.
Later that same day, while being moved back to the temple, the elephant attacked Muralidharan Nair. The elephant reportedly pressed him to the ground with its head. Other handlers were able to subdue the animal, but Muralidharan Nair died from his injuries at the hospital later that night. Sunil Kumar remains in critical condition.
Police have opened an investigation into the incident.
With input from TNIE
For more details: Navamalayalam.com
