After a video of ‘Jayamalyatha’, elephant of Srivilliputhur Andal Temple, being thrashed at Thekkampatti rejuvenation camp went viral on social media, mahouts Vinil Kumar and Sivaprasad were arrested on Sunday.
COIMBATORE: The mahout of the Srivilliputhur Andal temple elephant Jayamalyatha and his assistant were arrested on Sunday evening after a video that showed them thrashing the animal after chaining it to a tree went viral on social media. The video shows the female elephant flinching and trumpeting in pain as the two men beat it with sticks on its legs.
The female elephant was at the annual 48-day rejuvenation camp for temple elephants that began at Thekkampatti near Mettupalayam on February 8. The two men were booked under the Wildlife Protection Act and the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department officials suspended the mahout Vinil Kumar from service.