AHMEDABAD: Panic briefly erupted during the peaceful Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad near Khadia crossroads around 10:00 am on June 27 after a male elephant in the front of the procession ran amok. The elephant, part of the ceremonial march, was reportedly startled by loud DJ music and excessive whistling, according to R.K. Sahu, officer of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s Zoo Department. As the agitated elephant charged towards the crowd, two to three other elephants behind it started running, disrupting the disciplined formation. The situation escalated as the male elephant sprinted towards a barricaded road leading to the Pol area. Despite warnings from four to five policemen, the elephant rammed through the barricades. Two to three people in the crowd were mildly injured. Acting swiftly, the zoo team deployed two female elephants to calm the agitated male elephant.The male elephant was brought under control and was tied safely near the Khadia junction, where zoo staff continue to monitor him.”Only another elephant can control an elephant,” Sahu explained. Following the incident, authorities have withdrawn all three elephants involved — the agitated male and the two females — from the Yatra. With their removal, 14 out of the 17 elephants will now continue in the Rath Yatra.
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