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

Police registered a case against two grooms of the Sree Subrahmanya Swamy temple at Haripad in Alappuzha district after a disturbing video of a seven-month-old baby falling near the feet of the tusked Haripad Skandan surfaced on social media on Tuesday.

Haripad Police registered a suo motu case based on media reports about the incident under Sections 75 (punishment for cruelty to a child) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and Sections 291 (negligent act in relation to animals), 125 (act endangering human life or personal safety of others) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the two. noted. grooms.

The incident was reported to have occurred on Sunday, January 4, 2026. One of the grooms seen in the video is the baby’s father.

The baby was reportedly brought to the temple as part of the ‘choroonu’ ceremony and then taken near the temple. In the video, the elephant is seen passing the baby under the elephant as a superstition to ward off fear. At one point, the baby falls near the elephant’s feet while standing near the tusk. The child escaped unhurt.

Meanwhile, the elephant had gored an elephant keeper to death on August 31, 2025, after it turned violent. The elephant was tied up in musth ever since.