Former IAS officer S.P. Gupta recently took over as the Chairman of the Animal Welfare Board of India in Chennai. The board’s stand in December last year opposing jallikattu, which was contrary to the Centre’s position, had led to a near showdown between the AWBI and government.
In an interview on Friday, Mr. Gupta contended that the board could not go against the government’s directions. Excerpts:
During the jallikattu protests, there were reports that the Chairman and members of the AWBI were under pressure to either accept the government’s stand in favour of jallikattu or resign. In this backdrop, how could the Board protect and assert its independence?
I don’t know whether there was any pressure on the board in the past. As far as I am concerned, there is no pressure of any type. The board is not different from the government and is a creature of the government. We can have a different stand, no doubt. But we can issue an advisory to the government. Whether the government accepts or not is their outlook. And if the government gives us a direction, we have to comply with it. We cannot go against it. One thing is very clear, and the government’s stand is also very clear. As I have discussed with the Minister and the officers, they are not against the mandate given to us. Our mandate is very clear: to prevent cruelty to any animal. This topic unfortunately got dragged. I don’t know why it has happened.
Different communities and linguistic groups have different traditions and cultural practices in the country, which involve acts that might hurt or cause threat to the lives of animals and birds. How do you plan to tackle this challenge of balancing culture and animal welfare?
It’s a good question. As the chairman of the board, I also attach importance to our traditions and culture. We have to balance but not at the cost of animals. In jallikattu, I said we are not against it because this is tradition and people are attached to it. But in case of cruelty, we will take action, and that is why we are issuing guidelines. Officials should comply with these guidelines.
Though clearance from the AWBI is mandatory for releasing films, there have been attempts where animals were involved in the shooting but film-makers claimed to have used graphics. How do you plan to tackle this?
If anything like this comes to our notice, we will certainly take action. Every clearance is issued by the Board. When I joined, I received a few complaints about the delay in the issuance of ‘no objection certificate.’ We are trying to move it online so that all delays can be removed.
In recent times, there have been several incidents of students causing cruelty to animals. Do you think animal welfare could be recommended to be included in textbooks for schoolchildren to sensitise them towards animals and birds?
From January 14-30, 2018, we are celebrating the animal welfare festival across the country for bringing awareness. We have a representative from the Human Resource Ministry in our board and we are trying to have an additional chapter in schools.
