The Thrissur-based Heritage Animal Task Force has alleged harassment of an elephant during the Thrissur Pooram. It has alleged that the elephant which had a problem on one of its legs was paraded for the pooram.
V.K. Venkitachalam, secretary of the task force, has alleged that the elephant was limping throughout the parade. “Closed-circuit cameras captured the photos of the elephant limping during the parade,” he has said.
According to the task force, the explanation given by the Town East police for queries under the Right To Information (RTI) Act about the elephant parade was not satisfactory.
The sub-inspector of the East police station had replied that the elephants were paraded according to the guidelines of the Animal Welfare Board and the police had not observed any violation of the rules.
The task force has sent a petition, including photos of alleged harassment against the elephant during the Pooram to the Director General of Police and the Chief Conservator of Forest, Wildlife.
According to a recent Supreme Court order, harassment of elephants during festival would invite punishment for contempt of court.
One of the photos alleging harassment of an elephant during the Thrissur Pooram that have been submitted to authorities by the Heritage Animal Task Force.
