Dasara Elephant Attacks Mahout, Disrupts Traffic in Bandipur

Chamarajanagara: An elephant named Rohit, known for his role in Dasara celebrations, caused chaos in Bandipur forest on Wednesday after going on a rampage. The elephant, in a state of musth, attacked a mahout and disrupted traffic before being brought under control by forest officials.

Rohit had been moved from Rampura elephant camp to Bandipur for training. During this time, he broke free from its restraints and roamed the area, dragging a long tethering chain behind him. The incident led to a temporary halt in traffic movement through the forest.

In the effort to subdue Rohit, Venkatesh, the mahout of another elephant named Parthasarathi, was injured. He was quickly taken to a hospital in Mysuru for treatment. Forest Department staff eventually captured Rohit and secured the elephant near their reception area, where they are now monitoring the animal.