Thrissur: Four elephants have been barred from participating in ceremonial processions for five days following an incident in which a tusker ran amok during a 'thalappokkam' (head-lifting) contest at Kottappadi in Guruvayur.

The action was taken by the district-level Elephant Monitoring Committee, chaired by the District Collector, under the Captive Elephant Management Monitoring Committee, after it was found that the elephant became violent while the competition was underway. The elephants barred from ceremonial duties are Cherpulassery Ananthapadmanabhan, Chirakkal Kalidasan, Ukkens Kunju, and Cherpulassery Rajasekharan.

The incident occurred during a festival at the Kappiyoor Chirakkal Bhagavathy Temple in Kottappadi, where Cherpulassery Ananthapadmanabhan had been brought to take part in the celebrations. The elephant reportedly turned aggressive during the head-lifting contest.

According to officials, the tusker struck the mahout standing in front of it with its trunk before turning away. As panic spread, mahouts swiftly moved the other elephants out of the area. The situation remained tense for nearly half an hour before the elephant was finally brought under control.