ELEPHANT GOES ON 13-HOUR RAMPAGE DURING HISTORIC RAMLILA FESTIVAL IN VARANASI, INJURING MAHOUT

A major disruption occurred at the historic Ramnagar Ramlila in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, on Sunday morning after a captive elephant named Dhanraj went out of control at Panchvati Maidan, causing widespread destruction and critically injuring its mahout.

The incident began around 10:30 a.m. near the Pampasar pond, where elephants brought from Azamgarh were being kept for the annual religious procession. According to local police and witnesses, the animal became violent following an altercation with a female elephant, breaking free while its primary trainer, 26-year-old Chaplu (also known as Izrail), attempted to feed or bathe it. The elephant lifted Chaplu with its trunk and slammed him to the ground multiple times. The mahout was rescued and rushed to the Trauma Centre at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), where he received approximately 50 stitches for severe injuries to his head and limbs.

Following the attack on the handler, the elephant embarked on a 13-hour rampage across the area. The animal knocked down electricity poles, damaged local vehicles including motorcycles and a tempo, collapsed tin sheds, destroyed gates, and uprooted more than ten trees. In response, police personnel led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Vijay Pratap Singh and Ramnagar Police Inspector Sanjay Mishra, alongside forest department officials and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), cordoned off a two-kilometer radius and cut off power supply to prevent accidental electrocution.

The elephant was brought under control around 11:30 p.m. after a specialized team from the Gorakhpur Zoo, led by Dr. Yogesh Pratap Singh, administered tranquilizers in coordination with Chandauli District Forest Officer B. Shivshankar and additional handlers. The animal was safely transported to an open field opposite PN College in Ramnagar for monitoring and feeding before its planned return to Azamgarh, where it is owned by Shibli Singh.

The historic Ramnagar Ramlila, recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, involves traditions linked to the former royal family of Kashi, represented by Dr. Anant Narayan Singh. Due to the emergency, the scheduled symbolic conflict between Rama and Ravana was postponed, and festivities were limited to a formal evening aarti.