Alappuzha: A six-month-old baby slipped from a mahout's hands and fell near an elephant's feet during a ritual at Haripad in Alappuzha. Though the infant was unhurt, the incident raised a scare as the jumbo had killed a mahout earlier. 

It's a common superstitious belief that passing a baby underneath a standing elephant helps ward off fear. At Haripad, one mahout passed the baby under the elephant's trunk to another mahout standing on the opposite side. The second mahout then walked with the child between the elephant's legs before handing the baby back.

During this 'ritual', the baby slipped from the second mahout's hands and fell near the elephant's feet. The jumbo, Haripad Skandan, kept at the Haripad Sree Subrahmanya Swamy Temple, fortunately, did not react. The Deputy Devaswom Commissioner, who is in charge of the elephants, intervened and directed that the mahouts be replaced immediately.

In September 2025, Skandan turned violent while displaying signs of musth, killing one mahout and injuring another. The deceased is Muraleedharan Nair (53) of Thengamam, while the injured mahout, Sunilkumar (40) of Perunad, is still undergoing treatment. Following the incident, authorities placed the elephant in chains, and veterinary officials have not yet issued a fitness certificate.