Infant taken beneath elephant: Police register case against Kerala mahouts under Juvenile Justice Act

The police have registered a case against two mahouts after a disturbing video of a seven-month-old infant falling near the foot of the tusker Haripad Skandan belonging to the Sree Subrahmanya Swamy temple in Haripad, Alappuzha district, emerged on social media on Tuesday.

The Haripad Police have registered a suo motu case based on media reports on the incident under Section 75 (punishment for cruelty to child) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and Sections 291 (negligent conduct with respect to animal), 125 (act endangering human life or personal safety of others) and 3(5)(common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the two mahouts.

The incident reportedly occurred on Sunday (January 4, 2026). One of the mahouts seen in the video is the infant’s father.

The baby was reportedly brought to the temple as part of the ‘choroonu’ ceremony and was then taken near the temple. In the video, the mahout is seen passing the infant under the elephant’s body as part of a superstitious belief to ward off fear. At one point, while standing close to the tusker, the baby slips from the mahout’s hands and falls near the elephant’s feet. The child escaped without injuries.

Incidentally, the elephant had gored a mahout to death after it turned violent on August 31, 2025. The elephant had been tethered since then as it was in musth.