VHP Challenges Safari Park’s Decision to House Lioness ‘Sita’ with Lion ‘Akbar’ in Calcutta High Court
New Delhi: The Bengal branch of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has filed a petition in the Calcutta High Court challenging the West Bengal Forest Department’s decision to keep a lion named ‘Akbar’ and a lioness named ‘Sita’ in the same enclosure in Siliguri. Has been given. Safari Park. The plea, to be heard by Justice Saugata Bhattacharya on Tuesday, has included state forest officials and the safari park director as parties in the case.
According to reports, the lion and lioness were recently shifted from Tripura’s Sepahijala Zoological Park, and forest department officials say they have not changed the names of the animals. They claim that these names were given before the creatures came to the safari park.
However, the names ‘Akbar’ and ‘Sita’ have sparked controversy due to their historical and religious connotations. Akbar was a Muslim king of the Mughal Empire in India, while Sita is a prominent figure in Hindu mythology, known as the wife of Lord Rama. He is revered in Hinduism as a symbol of purity, devotion and virtue.
The VHP alleged that the names were given by the state forest department and argued that placing ‘Sita’ along with ‘Akbar’ in the safari park was disrespectful to Hindu beliefs and could hurt Hindu sentiments. As a result, they have filed a petition in the court to change the name of the lioness.
