India’s favorite Industrialist Ratan Tata on Wednesday reacted to the death of the pregnant elephant in Kerala and termed it as a “meditated murder” and called for justice.
The elephant was allegedly fed a pineapple stuffed with firecrackers and died after the cracker exploded in her mouth. The chairman of Tata Sons, Ratan Tata said,
“I am grieved and shocked to know that a group of people caused the death of an innocent, passive, pregnant elephant by feeding the elephant with a pineapple filled with firecrackers. Such criminal acts against innocent animals are no different than acts of meditated murder against other humans. Justice needs to prevail.”
Maneka Gandhi slams the Kerala government
An animal rights activist and BJP leader Maneka Gandhi slammed the Kerala government for not taking any action after a pregnant elephant was killed by feeding pineapple filled with crackers in the Malappuram district.
Gandhi lashed out at the forest officials and the government and termed the district as the most violent district for elephants where 3 elephants are killed every 3 days. She said,
“It is a murder. Malappuram is famous for such incidents, it is India’s most violent district. For instance, they throw poison on roads so that 300-400 birds and dogs die at one time. Kerala government has not taken any action in Malappuram, it seems they are scared. An elephant is killed every 3 days in Kerala. We have less than 20,000 elephants left in India, they are rapidly declining. Forest secretary should be removed, the minister for wildlife protection, if he has any sense, should resign. Rahul Gandhi is from that area, why has he not taken action.”
As per the Wildlife Protection Act, using snares to trap, wound, or kill any animal is a cruel practice, and even an attempt is a punishable offense. The forest officials have confirmed that the injuries on the elephant were due to an explosive. The FIR has been registered under section 9 (prohibition of hunting any wild animal specified in schedules I, II, III, and IV) and section 51 (offense committed in relation to any animal specified in Schedule or Part II of Schedule II).
Source: The Times of India
