The Tripura government has suspended a senior forest officer, IFS Pravin Lal Agrawal, over the naming of a lion as ‘Akbar’ and a lioness as ‘Sita ‘ by zoo authorities in Tripura.
Agrawal is the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) and Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW).
The lion and lioness were sent to Bengal Safari Park in Siliguri from Tripura’s Sepahijala Zoological Park on February 12.
The VHP’s northern West Bengal unit had filed a petition before the Jalpaiguri circuit bench of the Calcutta High Court, praying that the names be changed as it has hurt the religious sentiments. The court had asked the West Bengal Zoo Authority to consider renaming the lioness and lion, and wondered why create a controversy by giving such names.
Agrawal denied naming the lion and lioness, but later, it was found that the animals were named before they were sent to West Bengal as per the dispatch register, PTI has quoted an official as saying.
“Since Agrawal was the chief wildlife warden of Tripura during the relocation process of the animals, he was placed under suspension,” the official said.
