Tripura suspends forest officer amid row over naming lions Akbar and Sita: Report

The Tripura government has allegedly suspended the state’s principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife and ecotourism), Prabin Lal Agrawal, amid a row surrounding the naming of lions Akbar and Sita, The Times of India reported on Monday.

“Akbar” was the name of the third Mughal emperor who reigned from 1556 to 1605 while “Sita” is a Hindu deity from the epic Ramayan.

On February 13, West Bengal forest officials brought the seven-year-old lion Akbar and five-year-old lioness Sita to Bengal Safari Park in Siliguri from Sepahijala Zoological Park in Tripura, reported The Statesman.

Following this, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad claimed that housing Sita with Akbar would be an insult to the Hindu religion.

The Tripura government had asked for clarification from Agarwal, a 1994-batch Indian Forest Service officer, regarding the names. The officer, who was serving as Tripura's chief wildlife warden when the animals were sent to West Bengal, had denied naming the animals.

However, it was later found that the names were given by Tripura wildlife officials when the animals were being sent to West Bengal, leading to Agarwal’s suspension.

VHP’s petition

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s West Bengal wing had moved the Jalpaiguri circuit bench of the Calcutta High Court against the forest department allegedly keeping Akbar and Sita in the same enclosure at the safari park.

“Vishwa Hindu Parishad has...

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