Elephant Runs Amok During Festival, Seriously Injuring Its Handler in India (Video)

On Sunday, October 18, 2026, an elephant brought for the Ramlila attacked its handler, Chaplu, at the Panchvati grounds in Ramnagar, near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The elephant lifted him with its trunk and threw him to the ground; Chaplu was hospitalized in serious condition at the trauma center of Banaras Hindu University. Access roads were closed and more than 200 police officers and administrative staff were deployed, while four specialists from Gorakhpur Zoo brought equipment and a tranquilizer rifle. The elephant was eventually subdued and taken to a forest area.