A mahout of the Ramanathaswamy
temple here today sustained a fracture in his hand after he fell off an elephant which ran amok in panic when crackers were burst while it was being taken around the shrine.
The elephant had participated in the Ganesh Idol procession earlier and offered worship with flowers. Then it was taken along the streets around the temple when some persons burst crackers, officials said.
The elephant ran in panic on hearing the sound of the crackers and the junior mahout lost his balance and fell off the pachyderm, they said.
The elephant went to its shed and became calm,they said.
The mahout has been admitted to the government hospital, officials said.
