Lion Akbar, Lioness Sita Row: Tripura Government Suspends IFS Officer For Registering These Names During Animal Exchange Programme

After Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) moved the Calcutta High Court against the naming of a lion and lioness as Akbar and Sita respectively, the Tripura government suspended the state's principal chief conservator on Saturday (24 February).

According to TOI, suspended officer Prabin Lal Agrawal is a 1994-batch IFS (Indian Forest Service) officer. He served as Tripura's chief wildlife warden when the lion pair was sent to Siliguri as part of an animal exchange programme.

When the lion couple was relocated to North Bengal Wild Animals Park in Siliguri from Tripura's Sepahijala Zoo on 12 February, Agrawal recorded their names as Akbar and Sita which led to the controversy.

The VHP argued in its Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that the names were irrational, hurt religious sentiments and amounted to blasphemy. The Calcutta High Court bench ordered changing their names.

However, the Bengal Forest department said that the names were given by Tripura and hence, they are authorised to modify the names. The VHP then filed a writ petition and the matter will be heard soon.

When the Tripura government sought a clarification from Agrawal, he denied naming the lion couple. However, it was found that names were given during the animal exchange programme, leading to Agrawal's suspension.