A bullock cart procession held ahead of the Nava Kerala Sadas in Kumily Town in Idukki sparked tense moments as bullocks, ruffled by the traffic on the busy Kottarakkara-Dindigul NH lying on the Sabarimala route, ran amok among the public damaging two vehicles.
According to the Kumily police, the incident took place around 10 a.m. on Friday. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI(M) and other farmers groups had arranged a bullock cart procession ahead of the Navakerala Sadas at Peermade Assembly constituency. As many as six carts brought from Theni in Tamil Nadu were used in the parade, each cart being steered by two handlers. The parade began from the First Mile town and moved to Kumily, where the traffic was in full swing owing to the Sabarimala season. The handlers reportedly tried to speed the animals that got agitated by the teeming traffic, and ran amok.
The handlers lost control of the carts when they reached Central Junction near Kumily bus stand, and one of the speeding carts hit a vehicle coming from the opposite side. One of the cartwheels came off, yet the bullocks kept running dragging the cart on the other wheel. The busy highway was in chaos with people moving away sensing danger. Later, after much effort, the carts were brought to a halt.
