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Agartala: The government has suspended the officer who kept the lion and lioness named Akbar-Sita in a zoo in Tripura. Amid the controversy over naming, the government has suspended the state’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife and Ecotourism) Prabin Lal Agarwal. The suspension followed a complaint by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in the Calcutta High Court alleging that the names hurt religious sentiments.
Tigers were brought to Tripura from Bengal Safari
According to the information received, on February 12, two tigers were brought to Sepahijala Zoological Park in Tripura after five years. These tigers were brought from Bengal Safari in Siliguri in North Bengal under the animal exchange programme.
VHP appealed in the High Court
The VHP filed a petition before the High Court bench, urging changes in the names. The petition said that this hurts the sentiments of Hindu religion. Justice Bhattacharya expressed his disapproval over the names chosen for both the animals.
High Court also reprimanded
In oral remarks, the Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench of the Calcutta High Court said the decision to name the lioness and lion “Sita” and “Akbar” should have been avoided to prevent controversy. The court questioned whether the lion could be named after personalities like Swami Vivekananda or Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. The bench recommended that the West Bengal Zoo Authority reconsider and judiciously change the names of both the animals.
High Court bench asked sharp questions
Justice Bhattacharya considered whether it was appropriate to name animals after deities, mythological figures, freedom fighters or Nobel laureates. He emphasized that such controversies should be avoided. He said, who has given this name creating controversy? I was wondering if an animal can be named after a god, a mythological hero, a freedom fighter or a Nobel laureate. Why should you create controversy by naming a lion and a lioness Akbar and Sita?”
Let us tell you that Akbar was a major Muslim ruler of the Mughal Empire in India. While according to the Hindu epic Ramayana, Sita is recognized as the wife of Lord Rama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. People of Hindu religion call Sita as mother.
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