In yet another instance of a tragedy being given a communal colour, the minority community is being blamed for the murder of a pregnant elephant in Kerala!
On Wednesday, news of the death of a pregnant elephant, allegedly due to eating a firecracker-laden pineapple left by the locals reportedly for wild boars that damaged crops, sparked a national outcry. The pineapple had exploded in the pachyderm’s mouth damaging its jaw. The incident took place in the Silent Valley Forest in Mannarkkad Division of Kerala’s Palakkad district in the Velliyar River where the elephant took its last breath.
However, very quickly the whole incident took a communal colour after many from the ruling party, including Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and Maneka Gandhi, BJP MP said that the incident occurred in Malappuram, which is a Muslim majority district.
Central Government has taken a very serious note of the killing of an elephant in Mallapuram, #Kerala. We will not leave any stone unturned to investigate properly and nab the culprit(s). This is not an Indian culture to feed fire crackers and kill.@moefcc @PIB_India @PIBHindi
— Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) June 4, 2020
Maneka Gandhi, who is the Founder & Chairperson of People for Animals in a response to the incident said the crime rate in Malappuram is high and the communal conflict is highest there. Speaking about the incident she said, “The forest secretary should be removed. The minister should give his resignation. Rahul Gandhi is from that area, why has he not taken action?” It must be noted that Rahul Gandhi is an MP from Wayanad, which is location separate from where the incident took place.
— Maneka Sanjay Gandhi (@Manekagandhibjp) June 3, 2020
She said, “Malappuram is the most disturbed district in the country with at least one incident being reported from there every day. Not only do they kill animals (elephants), they throw poison to kill dogs and birds in thousands. There is some incident of violence every day. Women have been beaten up. Hindus and Muslims fight and have cut each other’s arms off. The situation there is scary and it feels like the Kerala government is scared of them. No investigation ever takes place there. The weakest of the administration are sent there,” adding the torture inflicted on elephants and animals in the district.
— Maneka Sanjay Gandhi (@Manekagandhibjp) June 3, 2020
She also issued a statement on the matter, with numbers of the forest officials, asking people that they call them and demand action.
Mallapuram is know for its intense criminal activity specially with regards to animals. No action has ever been taken against a single poacher or wildlife killer so they keep doing it.
I can only suggest that you call/email and ask for action pic.twitter.com/ii09qmb7xW— Maneka Sanjay Gandhi (@Manekagandhibjp) June 3, 2020
After Maneka Gandhi’s statement, right-wing Twitter users took no time to accuse the minorities for the incident.
मल्लापुरम, जहां प्रेग्नेंट हथिनी की हत्या की गई है वहां 70%+ शांतिप्रिय आबादी है,वहां हिन्दू प्रताड़ित हैं।
चूंकि हिन्दू गणेश जी की पूजा करते हैं इसलिए उमा नामक हथिनी को मारा गया।
मल्लापुरम IS का गढ़ है व मुस्लिम लीग द्वारा इसमें 9 जिले मिलाकर अलग राज्य बनाने की मांग हो रही है।
— Prashant Patel Umrao (@ippatel) June 3, 2020
The atrocity of feeding a pregnant elephant with pineapple full of firecrackers & killing her, took place in the Mallapuram district of India’s Kerala State. The district is the only Muslim-majority district of the state with an over 70% Muslim population.
What are the chances? pic.twitter.com/JWg7DUWizm
— Tarek Fatah (@TarekFatah) June 2, 2020
In Kerala’s Malappuram, ba$tards fed a Pregnant Elephant Fed Pineapple Stuffed with Firecrackers.
She exploded but didn’t harm anyone. She went to the river and died quietly.
Now tell me about 100% literacy & who is majority in Mallapuram? https://t.co/lduCv2uUbW
— Arun Pudur (@arunpudur) June 2, 2020
Soon, some media outlets confirmed that Maneka Gandhi had wrongly accused Malappuram being the area where the incident took place. K Sunil Kumar, Divisional Forest Officer, Manarkkad, told The Quint, “The elephant was found dead in a forest area in the Mannarkkad division of Palakkad district. Such incidents have happened in the past but we have taken all steps to prevent them.”
The Kerala Forest Department also issued an official statement by a tweet, confirming that the incident did not in fact take place in Malappuram.
KFD wants to clarify that the place where the unfortunate incident took place falls in Palakkad district, and not in Malappuram district as reported in some sections of the media.
— Kerala Forest Department (@ForestKerala) June 4, 2020
After this, many Twitter users took to the microblogging site to stop the communalisation of the incident.
1. The incident happened in Palakkad, not Malappuram, my minister is lying to communalise the death of an Elephant because my minister belongs to a party which can only survive by dividing people based on religion
— Ansari (@Ansari18090033) June 4, 2020
It is disgraceful when a Tragic Death of a pregnant Elephant ? is tried to be given a Communal Color ! Tomorrow even an #Earthquake will be painted with Green and Saffron ! God save us from the seeping #CommunalVirus ? https://t.co/ewnzVOj7gj
— zafar sareshwala (@zafarsareshwala) June 4, 2020
Islamophobia is BJP’s DNA – A pregnant elephant died by explosives in Palakkad district in Kerala, but Modi party’s MP and former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi blames Malappuram district, because it is Muslim majority .https://t.co/fZi3Is8pKW
— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) June 3, 2020
Maneka Gandhi is known for her remarks against the minorities. Last year, during the elections, she had made a controversial remark, allegedly threatening Muslims that if they wouldn’t vote for her, she wouldn’t help them in the future.
“Vote for me or else…”: What BJP’s Maneka Gandhi told Muslims at a meet
Read here: https://t.co/aVGNkWp9g5 pic.twitter.com/PfYn6LyRx9
— NDTV Videos (@ndtvvideos) April 12, 2019
Her remarks at such a sensitive time, are highly irresponsible. For a ruling party leader to make comments and accusations without fact-checking, only to rake up communal sentiments and deepen the communal divide, should not go unquestioned.
What is more appalling is that even after the clarification by the Forest Department of Kerala, neither Maneka Gandhi, nor the other ruling party leaders who spoke about the incident, have said that they were wrong by wrongly stating that the incident took place in Malappuram.
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