‘Sita’ with ‘Akbar’! VHP sees red, moves Calcutta HC over names of lions
Foresters explain that big cats had already been named in Tripura and are familiar with each other; VHP petitions Calcutta HC seeking that lioness be renamed
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has taken offence over ‘Sita’ being housed with ‘Akbar’ and moved Calcutta High Court alleging insult to Hindu religious beliefs. The said couple happens to be a pair of lions recently shifted to Siliguri’s Bengal Safari Park from Tripura’s Sepahijala zoo.
The lions arrived at the North Bengal park on February 13. They are reportedly part of a breeding programme, which has got the goat of the Hindu outfit.
Names not changed in Bengal
The forest department has explained that the big cats had already been named in Tripura and are familiar with each other. Sita, aged 5, was born in Sepahijala. Akbar, aged 7, was chosen to be her mate by the Central and state zoo authorities.
However, the Bengal wing of VHP believes that housing the two together would be an insult to Hindu religion. It has petitioned the High Court’s Circuit Bench in Jalpaiguri, seeking that the lioness’s name be changed. The court will hear the plea on February 20.
The state forest authorities and the safari park director have been made party to the case, reported LiveLaw.