Man injured in elephant attack during Puthiyangadi nercha, dies

MALAPPURAM: A man injured in an elephant attack during the Puthiyangadi nercha in Tirur, has died. The dead is Krishnan Kutty (58) of Tirur Ezhur. He died at 11.30 am Friday while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kottakkal.

The incident happened Wednesday morning. The elephant named Pakkathu Sreekuttan brought for the Puthiyangadi nercha ran amok. In the chaos, the elephant lifted Krishnan Kutty into the air and tossed him leaving him critically injured. The visuals of this had surfaced. Many people were injured when the elephant turned violent during the nercha.

The nercha is an annual feast held at the Pattambi mosque in Palakkad. This feast held in memory of Aloor Valiya Pookunjikoya Thangal, a revered Muslim saint from the Malabar region, transforms Pattambi into a vibrant spectacle of colours, lights, and sounds.