The Supreme Court on November 14 sought a response from the West Bengal Government on a contempt petition alleging the continued use of sharp spikes and burning mashaals (fire torches) to drive away elephants in the state.
A bench comprising Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan issued notice to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, West Bengal.
The petitioner contended that the West Bengal Government has failed to effectively address human-elephant conflicts and has violated Supreme Court orders dated August 1 and December 4, 2018. In these orders, the court had directed the state to remove spikes and desist from using fireballs to manage elephants.
Prerna Singh Bindra, counsel for the petitioner, cited incidents involving the use of spikes and burning torches to drive away elephants in West Bengal. She added that despite assurances given to the court to stop such practices, the state has not explored alternative methods for managing human-elephant conflicts.
The counsel informed the bench about a recent incident from August 15, when a group of elephants entered the Jhargram Raj College Colony in West Bengal. A pregnant female elephant was chased by a Hulla party–a group of locals armed with iron rods, spikes, and fire torches–and was attacked, which ultimately caused her death.
The plea pending before the apex court highlights the use of cruel and torturous methods to manage human-wildlife conflicts in states like Karnataka, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Odisha, with a specific focus on human-elephant conflicts.
(With inputs from ANI)
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