Bitter politics over Kerala elephant killed with explosives

NEW DELHI: The South Indian state of Kerala pledged to intensify its investigation into the death of a pregnant elephant that ate explosives-filled pineapples, as right-wing lawmakers wrongly blamed a Muslim-majority district as responsible for animal cruelty and cricket and Bollywood stars joined a chorus of outrage over the incident.

The elephant died in agony last week in Kerala, the latest casualty in a growing conflict in South Asia between large animals and humans as ever more forest is lost to urban expansion. Footage of the animal standing in Velliyar river for hours with its badly injured mouth and trunk in the water as it slowly weakened went viral, triggering horror and even calls for the culprits to be executed.

Amid the furore, Kerala Forest Minister K Raju said one man has been arrested in Palakkad district — where the elephant died. “One accused identified as Wilson has been arrested in connection with the case. More people are involved. The process to arrest all the accused is underway. Strict action will be taken in the matter to ensure such incidents are not repeated in the future,” Raju told reporters.

Police in the adjoining district of Malappuram meanwhile registered a case under Section 153 of the IPC against former Indian minister and BJP leader Maneka Gandhi for her “communal” remarks on the killing of the pregnant elephant.

Gandhi had allegedly gone on record to say that “Mallapuram is known for its intense criminal activity, specially with regards to animals. No action has ever been taken against a single poacher or wildlife killer so they keep doing it.” Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed what he said was as an “irresponsible” remark, while a huge furore has erupted in Muslim-dominated Malappuram district. Six complaints against Gandhi have been filed with local police.

Malappuram Superintendent of Police Abdul Karim said that based on various complaints received, one FIR has been registered against Maneka Gandhi. The section pertains to “wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot”.

Weighing in on the controversy, India’s junior foreign minister V Muraleedharan — who hails from the state — said Saturday that instead of focusing where the death took place, emphasis should be on finding ways to prevent cruelty against animals. “An elephant died. He was fed cracker stuffed in a food substance. But controversy has erupted in Kerala that some BJP leaders said that it happened in Malapuram. My point is that the controversy that is to be discussed is animal cruelty, and how we must take preventive and corrective steps further,” Muraleedharan told reporters.

India’s cricket captain Virat Kohli said on social media he was “appalled” while Bollywood megastar Akshay Kumar tweeted that the incident was “heartbreaking, inhumane and unacceptable”. “Maybe animals are less wild and humans less human,” Kumar said, calling for “strict action” against the culprits.

Even Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata, one of India’s biggest conglomerates, chimed in, calling the killing “no different than acts of meditated murder against other humans ... Justice needs to prevail.”

India’s environment and forest minister Prakash Javadekar promised action. “Central Government has taken a very serious note of the killing of an elephant in Mallapuram, #Kerala,” Javadekar said on Twitter. “We will not leave any stone unturned to investigate properly and nab the culprit(s). This is not an Indian culture to feed fire crackers and kill,” the minister added.

The killing of the animal, was however likely not driven by callousness and cruelty. Poor villagers in India, Sri Lanka and elsewhere often use firecracker or explosive-filled pineapples — which act like pressure-activated landmines — to protect their fields and homes from wild animals. A similar incident was reported last month in a nearby district in Kerala where a female elephant was found with serious mouth injuries.

About 2,361 people were killed in attacks by elephants between 2014 and 2019, according to data recorded by the Indian government. In the same period about 510 elephants died, including 333 from electrocution and around another 100 from poaching and poisoning, the figures stated.