How did the names of two big cats Akbar and Sita reach the Calcutta High Court? 🦁
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00:00This was Akbar, and this was Sita.
00:05Their names hurt the sentiments of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad,
00:08and it led to the suspension of an Indian Forest Services officer.
00:21Generally, animals in national parks and zoos are given neutral names,
00:25like Aisle 25 and Aisle 26 in this case.
00:28But sometimes, handlers, guides, drivers, and nature lovers who frequent these places
00:34tend to give animals more relatable names.
00:36While it wasn't clear who gave the names Akbar and Sita,
00:40the VHP said it seems to be a pre-election conspiracy.
00:43Akbar and Sita's names created a row when they were moved from the Sepahijala Zoological Park
00:49in Tripura to Bengal Safari Park in Siliguri on 12th February 2024.
00:58According to Tripura Zoo authorities, they got their names in 2016 and 2018.
01:13When they were being moved to Siliguri as part of an animal exchange program,
01:18IFS officer Praveenlal Agarwal recorded their names as Akbar and Sita in the dispatch register.
01:24Agarwal was serving as Tripura's principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife warden.
01:30Although he said he didn't give the big cats their names, he was suspended.
01:34The Vishwa Hindu Parishad's Bengal unit moved the Calcutta High Court against
01:38naming the lioness Sita and keeping her in the same enclosure as Akbar.
02:24Akbar shared his name with the Mughal ruler Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar
02:29while Sita was the name of Lord Ram's wife.
02:31The VHP said naming the lioness Sita was blasphemous
02:35and a direct assault on the religious beliefs of all Hindus.
02:54On 22nd February, the Jalpaiguri Circuit bench of the Calcutta High Court
02:59advised the West Bengal government to change Akbar and Sita's names.
03:03The bench also observed that animals shouldn't be named after gods,
03:06mythological heroes, freedom fighters or Nobel laureates.