A religious celebration in the Indian city of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, descended into panic on Friday morning after a group of elephants taking part in the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra broke loose, trampling bystanders and injuring at least two people, according to local reports. Dramatic footage shared by local media shows crowds fleeing in narrow streets as mahouts (elephant handlers) struggled to regain control of the agitated animals. One elephant can be seen charging toward terrified onlookers, forcing the crowd to scatter in various directions.
The incident occurred at around 10.15 am local time in the densely populated Khadia area of the city, where thousands had gathered for the start of the traditional procession, the Hindustan Times reported. Officials say a decorated elephant suddenly broke away from its group, triggering panic, with one or two others reportedly following suit.
By 10.28 AM, the Ahmedabad Police confirmed that the elephants were dismissed from the procession and the yatra resumed as scheduled.
The Ahmedabad City Police, wrote on X: “After elephants went out of control in the Khadia area, they have been dismissed from the Rath yatra and the procession is continuing as per schedule.”
RK Sahu, Superintendent of the Kamla Nehru Zoological Garden told The Times of India: “Following protocol, the elephant was immediately given a tranquiliser injection.
“Two female elephants were used to gently herd him away from the crowd, in line with our standard safety strategy.”
The Jagannath Rath Yatra is one of India’s largest religious events, commemorating the yearly procession of Lord Jagannath, accompanied by his siblings Balabhadra and Subhadra, from their temple in Puri to the Gundicha Temple, considered their birthplace.
Participating in or witnessing the pulling of the chariots is believed to purify negative karma and bestow peace, good health, and spiritual growth.
The 11.2 mile route passes through key parts of Ahmedabad’s Old City, including Jamalpur, Khadia, Kalupur, Saraspur, Dariyapur, Shahpur, and Manek Chowk.
This year’s yatra in Ahmedabad featured about 17 elephants, alongside 100 floats, and over a million participants.