Kerala police have filed an FIR against BJP MP and animal activist Maneka Gandhi for her provocative statements in connection with the killing of a pregnant elephant in the state.
Malappuram district police chief Abdul Karim IPS confirmed to The Quint that following a complaint from a person called Latheef, an FIR has been registered under section 153 of the Indian Penal Code (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot.)
On Wednesday, 3 June, the former union minister in an interview with ANI claimed that Malappuram was the ‘most violent district’ in the country.
“Every week an elephant dies of beating in Kerala. They should sack the Chief Wildlife Warden. They should arrest everyone they suspect in Malappuram because they are repeat offenders,” she said.
However, the incident took place in Mannarkkad in Palakkad district and not in Malappuram. The district forest officer confirmed the same to The Quint.
K Raju, the Minister of Forests, Wildlife Protection, Animal Husbandry had also clarified the same and assured strict action against the offenders.
These comments had sparked a communal debate on social media with many tweeting offensive messages against the particular community.
Even the Union Minister Prakash Javadekar made an error by blaming Malappuram.
Gandhi even slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is the MP from Kerala’s Wayanad district, which is at a different location.
Several Twitter users and celebrities called out the communal propaganda.
On Friday, the official website of People for Animals (PFA), an animal rights NGO founded by BJP MP Maneka Gandhi, was hacked by a group of “ethical hackers” over her remarks made on Malappuram district while referring to the death of a pregnant elephant in Kerala.
A message on the website read, “Maneka Gandhi dragged the sad death of pregnant elephant for dirty politics,” with the popular ‘coffin dance’ music playing in the background.
1 Arrested, 2 Absconding
The elephant’s death took place on 27 May after she allegedly ate a fruit stuffed with explosives that were possibly left behind by locals and this has created a furore across the country.
One person named Wilson who works in an estate in Palakkad has been arrested and two others, Karim and Riyaz, who are said to to be the owners of the estate, are absconding, confirmed Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden Surendrakumar.
The arrest comes just a day after top forest officials told The Quint that reports alleging that the animal was fed a pineapple stuffed with firecrackers ‘on purpose’ were false.
Kerala Forest Minister K Raju told on Friday that the forest department had appointed three teams for investigation and police were also investigating the matter.
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