Ahmedabad: Panic gripped devotees during the 148th Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Ahmedabad this morning after a group of elephants went out of control. The elephants were part of the procession that began in the city this morning. A video of the incident has surfaced online showing people running in panic while the mahouts try to control the elephants. The clip also shows one of the elephants charging directly at the crowd.
The 148th Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath began in Khadia area of Ahmedabad on Friday morning. Thousands of devotees took part in the rath yatra to get a glimpse of the deity. The chariots of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balbhadra and sister Subhadra were rolled out of the 400-year-old Jagannath temple in Jamalpur area of the city by the Khalasi community as per the age-old tradition. As many as 18 elephants and 100 trucks decorated as tableaux on different themes participated in the grand procession. The procession is expected to return by 8 pm after covering a distance of 16 km during the day.
Elephants goes out of control
Chaos broke out in the area when one of the elephants suddenly lost control. According to eyewitnesses, the elephant became agitated after seeing the crowd and loud noise. The giant animal began to run wildly, broke past barricades and entered a nearby residential ‘pol’ (traditional housing cluster).
No injuries reported
Fortunately, no injuries were reported. Though the sight of uncontrollable elephants sent shivers down the spine of those present to witness the event, no mishap has been reported. The incident led to the temporary suspension of the Rath Yatra for about ten minutes. The procession resumed as per the scheduled route following the intervention of officials.