Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday announced a solatium of Rs two lakh each to the families of a mahout and his relative who were trampled to death by the Tiruchendur Lord Muruga temple elephant a couple of days back.
The Tiruchendur temple situated on the beach front in the southern Tuticorin district, is one of the six abodes of Lord Muruga and will attract lakhs of devotees from several parts of India and abroad.
In a statement here Saturday evening, the Chief Minister said the mahout Udhayakumar and his relative Sisubalan were trampled to death by the temple elephant Deivanai on November 18.
While Sisubalan died on the spot, the mahout died at a hospital where he was admitted, without responding to treatment.
Expressing deep anguish and grief over their death, Mr Stalin offered his condolences and announced a solatium of Rs two lakh each to their families from the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund.
It may be recalled that in a tragic incident, the temple elephant of renowned ‘Lord Subramania Swamy Temple’ at Tiruchendur trampled its mahout and a devotee to death on Monday.
The 27-year-old pachyderm ‘Deivanai’ turned wild, when Udhayakumar, the mahout and Sisubalan attempted to feed fruits.
The elephant trampled the duo under its legs after hurling them to the ground with its trunk.
The temple was closed for public darshan for nearly one hour, as the priests performed special yagnams to cleanse the temple and later re-opened to enable the devotees to have darshan.
Senior forest officials visited the temple and inspected the health condition of the elephant, which was now under a rejuvenation regime.
Deivanai was generally calm and it had not attacked either mahout or pilgrims in the past, HR and CE department officials said.