Rishab Kumar, a resident of Delhi’s Karol Bagh area, was returning after offering prayers at Neelkanth temple with others when the elephant attacked the group.
Representational image (Photo: Getty)
A pilgrim from Delhi was trampled to death by an elephant in Rishikesh forest on Tuesday morning. Rishab Kumar, a resident of Delhi’s Karol Bagh area, was returning after offering prayers at Neelkanth temple with others when the elephant attacked the group. While Kumar died, another person, Pratap Singh sustained serious injuries in the attack.
The injured person has been admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Rishikesh.
A group of devotees from Delhi was in Rishikesh to offer prayers at the Neelkanth temple on Mahashivratri. After performing the ritual and taking rest for a while, the six-member group was returning on foot from Neelkanth to Rishikesh at 2 am on Tuesday when the incident occured.
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The 7-kilometer long Neelkath-Rishikesh trek route is not considered safe for movement at night.
A wild elephant is active in the forest area around Swarg Ashram these days, according to forest officials. The forest staff were on patrol and till 11 pm on Monday night and cleared many groups of pilgrims walking on the Neelkath trek route. After confirming that no more movement on the route, the forest department staff had returned.
The Delhi group was taking rest midway in a shed, and decided to move in the early hours of Tuesday. They were using their mobile phones’ torch for light. The group was heading towards the main road when the elephant attacked and created panic among the pilgrims.
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