'Akbar-Sita' lions row: Tripura government suspends top forest official
Tripura's government on Monday suspended a top forest official, Prabin Lal Agrawal, amid a controversy surrounding the naming of a zoo lion and lioness as "Akbar" and "Sita," respectively. The suspension came after the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) moved the Calcutta High Court, claiming the names hurt religious sentiments. Named at Tripura's Sepahijala Zoological Park, the big cats were transferred to North Bengal Wild Animals Park in Siliguri, West Bengal, as part of an animal exchange program last week.
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The naming of the animals courted controversy after the VHP filed a writ petition in the court, asking it to address the alleged "blasphemy" and "a direct assault on the religious beliefs of all Hindus." It cited a Bengali newspaper, Uttarbanga Sambad, which published the headline "Sangir khoje astir Sita (Sita is restless for a companion)." Last week, a Calcutta HC judge observed orally, "An animal should not be named after any deity or figure belonging to any religion."
'Sita cannot stay with Akbar': VHP
Agrawal, a 1994-batch Indian Forest Services (IFS) officer who was the state's chief wildlife warden, documented the names "Akbar" and "Sita" in the dispatch register before sending the lions to Siliguri. Akbar was a famous Muslim ruler of the Mughal Empire, while Sita is the wife of Lord Rama, an avatar of the deity Vishnu, according to the Hindu epic Ramayana. A VHP official, Anup Mondal, explained the outfit's protest and said, "Sita cannot stay with the Mughal Emperor Akbar."
Calcutta HC questions decision on names
During a hearing—held last week—the Calcutta HC's Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench questioned the decision to name the animals "Sita" and "Akbar," suggesting that it should have been avoided to prevent controversy. Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya asked if a lion could be named after figures like Swami Vivekananda or Ramakrishna Paramahansa. It also recommended that the West Bengal Zoo Authority rename the two animals "wisely." He stressed that such controversies should have been avoided and expressed disapproval of the chosen names.
Court questions naming conventions
Justice Bhattacharyya also questioned why naming the lioness Sita mattered, as it could have been named out of affection. However, the counsel for petitioners argued that this was "slander," not affection. He added that if this was allowed, then a donkey could be named after a deity, too. The HC also extensively questioned Additional Advocate General Debjyoti Choudhury on whether such naming conventions could be allowed.
Lions moved to separate enclosures to prevent conflict
The government informed the court that "Akbar" and "Sita" were designated as "house names" or nicknames for the animals in the Tripura Zoo. The authorities at the North Bengal Wild Animals Park are now considering renaming the animals to avoid further controversy. Notably, following the petition, the lions were moved to separate enclosures to prevent any religious conflict.
