Varanasi: An elephant that ran amok during the Ramnagar Ramlila and injured its mahout was brought under control late Sunday night after a team from Gorakhpur Zoo used a tranquiliser to sedate the animal.The elephant, brought from Azamgarh for the world-famous Ramnagar Ramlila, triggered panic in the Panchvati area on Sunday after breaking its iron chain and running out of control.Police, forest department officials and NDRF teams rushed to the spot.Several mahouts were also called in to help control the animal, but efforts remained unsuccessful until late evening. As the local forest department did not have tranquiliser injections or elephant-control experts, assistance was sought from Gorakhpur Zoo. Xylazine, a strong sedative used to calm or immobilise large animals, was arranged from there. The elephant was finally brought under control late at night.The elephant, Dhanraj, had been tied to a tree at Panchvati ground when it suddenly broke free around 10 am. Its mahout, Chhaplu, a resident of Bairampur in Azamgarh’s Tehbarpur area, tried to control it but was attacked. The elephant slammed him against a wall, threw him to the ground and crushed his chest, thigh and hand.Chhaplu was first taken to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital and later referred to the BHU Trauma Centre in critical condition.After escaping from the ground, the elephant moved onto the Panchvati-Lanka road and caused widespread damage. It broke the gate of a market, uprooted two electric poles, damaged small shops, snapped tree branches and destroyed a tin shed outside a house. One of the damaged poles carried a 33,000-volt power line, leading to a nearly two-hour power outage in Ramnagar.Police barricaded the Panchvati-Lanka road and stopped traffic as a precaution. Shops were closed, while residents and passersby fled in panic.The Ramlila performance was also suspended due to the incident.Officials said elephants are traditionally brought by the royal family for the Ramnagar Ramlila, and members of the Kashi royal family use them while attending the performances.
