Lucknow, May 8: The driver of a UP Roadways bus had the fright of his life when he found, to his shock and dismay, an enraged elephant looking for him after the animal’s mahout was killed after the bus knocked him down, in Jaunpur district.
The terrified driver hid below the bus seat as the angry elephant kept going round the bus for several hours and prevented any movement of the vehicle.
According to reports, the bus was on its way to Jaunpur when it hit the elephant in the early hours of Tuesday near Shahinpur village in the district. Two mahouts riding the animal were returning home after attending a wedding function in Bhandara area in the district. Wedding festivities in this region often feature elephants and horses.
The two mahouts were thrown several metres away on impact. One mahout identified as Munna Lal died on the spot while the other, Mahendra Shukla, sustained injuries. After recovering from the initial shock, the driver tried to speed away in the bus but the elephant quickly got up and blocked the way.
“The pachyderm looked very angry... he kept trumpeting and also tried to catch the driver by his trunk from the window,” eyewitnesses said. Surprisingly, the animal did not harm the passengers in the bus, though it broke the window panes and damaged the vehicle. The passengers were shouting for help, witnesses said.
Even after the driver hid below the seat, the elephant kept probing with its trunk to trace and catch him.
The injured mahout in the meantime informed the owner of the elephant, who reached there with another mahout to take the pachyderm away. “The elephant went a few metres but returned and started looking for the driver,” eyewitnesses said.
It took several hours for the owner and the new mahout to ‘persuade’ the elephant to leave the place. The animal was later chained to a tree. A team of veterinary doctors examined the elephant.
The driver and the passengers had a harrowing time and they could leave the spot after several hours.
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