Kerala Elephant Death: How Malappuram & Muslims Got Wrongly Blamed

The pregnant elephant was found dead in in the Manarkkad division of Palakkad district: K Sunil Kumar, DFO Manarkkad

At a time when even a pandemic like COVID-19 is seen from the prism of religion, it's hardly surprising that even the tragic death of a pregnant elephant in Kerala has been given a communal colour.

The elephant’s death allegedly took place after she consumed a fruit stuffed with explosives that were possibly left behind by locals and this sparked a great deal of shock and outrage.

While much of the outrage rightly centered around violence against animals, some tried to give it a communal spin.

It began with misleading news that the incident took place in Malappuram, the only Muslim majority district in Kerala, even though the elephant died in the Mannarkkad division of Palakkad district.