Elephant unlikely to face charges after lifting up drunk man with its trunk and flinging him aside

Saying an endearing 'hello brother' to an elephant in Tamil Nadu, southern India, nearly cost a man his life. The pachyderm did not take kindly to his greeting and flung the man a few yards away. The man escaped with minor injuries to his leg. The elephant, belonging to the Kulasekharapatinam mosque, is also taken to participate in private functions in the region.

On Tuesday morning, the elephant, accompanied by its mahout, was on its way to participate in a function in nearby Udangudi when the man, Mandiram, 40, of Somanadhapuram in Tuticorin, accosted the pachyderm near a bazaar and tried to fool around with it. Eyewitnesses say that Mandiram suddenly appeared in front of the elephant in an inebriated state and saluted it. He had then shouted to passersby that lord Ganesha had come to see them.



The mahout told him to stop harassing the animal, but Mandiram, perhaps emboldened by the liquor he had consumed, clung to the elephant's trunk and said, `Hello brother, how are you?' The animal, apparently agitated, lifted him with its trunk and flung him at an autorickshaw standing nearby where he fell to the ground. The animal then ran after him and attempted to trample him and prevent him from getting up. The mahout swung into action and brought the animal under control.

Members of the public rushed to Mandiram's help and took him to the Tiruchendur government hospital, where he is being treated for his leg injuries. Public told the police that the mahout was not to be blamed as he had warned the man, who refused to pay heed. Police sources say that they have not filed a case yet. "If the case is filed it would involve taking the animal to court and that would be a cumbersome process. Moreover, the case would be against the animal and we are at a loss as to what to do," they said.