New Delhi: A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking probe by the CBI or a special investigation team (SIT) into the recent death of a pregnant wild elephant after it ate a fruit containing firecrackers in Kerala’s Silent Valley Forest.
The 15-year-old elephant fell victim to an act of human cruelty after the fruit filled with powerful crackers, offered allegedly by locals, exploded in her mouth when she chomped it. The elephant died in the Velliyar River on May 27. The plea filed in the apex court has alleged that prima facie it appeared to be a “calculated and organised” racket to kill elephants and that the authorities have failed to prevent such killings of protected animals. Referring to media reports, the plea filed by Delhi-based advocate Avadh Bihari Kaushik has said that in April this year a similar incident had come to light in which an elephant, which was found with mouth injuries in Pathanapuram forest range in Kerala’s Kollam district, had died.
The plea has also urged the apex court to call for the entire record of these cases along with similar incidents, if any, regarding killing of elephants. (PTI)
