The elephant after it was calmed in Burdwan. Picture by Krishna Das

Burdwan, Nov. 8: An elephant twice flung a seven-year-old boy to the ground and trampled him to death in front of his parents, shortly after the child had a fun ride on its back here this afternoon.

Vivek Sahani had just placed a ten-rupee note in the hollow of 30-year-old Anarkali’s trunk when the unexplained attack came.

The privately owned elephant was being taken around in Burdwan town by its three mahouts today. Wherever the elephant went, children flocked to watch it and the mahouts gave them rides if they were willing to pay.

Vivek, a Class II student, was standing in the crowd near his home at Ajirbagan locality around 1.30pm. After he asked for and got a five-minute ride, conducted by mahout Dwarka Prasad Mishra, the boy took out a currency note and offered it to Anarkali.

“But instead of grabbing the note, the elephant wrapped its trunk around the boy and lifted him in the air. One of the mahouts tried to stop it but the elephant pushed him away,” said Bindi Shau, 35, who was in the crowd.

Vivek’s mother Munni passed out as the horror unfolded. His father Dilip, a truck driver, wept.

Dwarka, the mahout, made the elephant sit on its haunches and tied an iron chain around its front legs. The animal became quiet after this.

The police have arrested Dwarka and charged him with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. On forest officials’ suggestion, the other two mahouts have led the elephant to the Damodar’s banks, about 1km away.

Divisional forest officer G.C. Kajuri said his department would help the police take the elephant to the Ausgram forest, 40km away.

Mahout Munna Dubey, who was not present at the time of the tragedy, said the elephant belonged to the Sitamarhi ashram in Varanasi.

“We were heading for Calcutta where there is another Sitamarhi ashram. We left Varanasi two-and-a-half months ago and reached Burdwan town on Sunday,” Munna said. “Anarkali is generally very calm. I can’t understand why she behaved like this.”

But the police said Dwarka had told them the elephant did not belong to any ashram and that the mahouts roamed the country with it, offering rides for money. Kajuri said elephants can be kept privately with permission from the state’s chief wildlife warden.