The West Bengal unit of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has moved the Calcutta High Court against the Siliguri Safari Park's decision to keep a lioness named 'Sita' and a lion called 'Akbar' in the same enclosure.
According to the VHP, housing the lioness named 'Sita' with an 'Akbar' is an insult to the Hindu religion. Thus they want the name of the female beast changed. The plea was reportedly filed before Calcutta High Court's Circuit Bench at Jalpaiguri on Friday and has been listed for hearing on Tuesday, February 20.
“The lioness which was brought to the Bengal Safari Park has been named Sita. This has hurt the Hindu religion. We are strongly opposed to such a name and have thus come to the court to seek recourse,” a VHP representative was quoted as saying by The Wire.
The two lions were brought to Siliguri from Tripura's Sepahijala Zoological Park on February 13. While the male animal is seven-years-old, the female is six, a report said.
The West Bengal forest department has clarified that the two big cats were given their respective names in Tripura, Live Law said in a report. West Bengal's forest authorities and Bengal's Safari Park director have been made parties to the case, the report added.