Tension prevailed at the Tali Nilakanteshwara temple as an elephant ran amok as large number of devotees assembled to witness the culmination of a four-day long festival here.
The incident occurred at around 10 a.m. when the caparisoned elephant ran amok when the temple priest sat on the animal with an idol of Lord Siva. There were reports that the priest and the idol fell down, creating chaos, a senior police official here said.
The elephant later ran towards the market junction along the National Highway, covering a distance of nearly 3 kms and then into the Karyankode river. It crossed the river, wading through nearly 200 metres, and stopped for a while at Achuthuruthi, K. Bijulal, sub-inspector at Nileshwaram said.
The elephant then moved further and halted at nearby Kaithakad hill top as the mahout managed to climb and sit on the animal. Efforts are still underway to pacify the animal, an official at the spot, told The Hindu.
The police have requested the Forest Department to send officials from Kasargod, he said. No one was injured in the incident, he added.
