Kerala elephant death: Culprits will be booked soon, says CM

The elephant was fatally injured after it ate a pineapple stuffed with crackers that exploded in its mouth and broke the jaw.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday took to Twitter to address the outrage following the brutal killing of a pregnant elephant in end-May and said that the culprits would be brought to book soon.

People pull the body of a dead pregnant elephant out of the water, after the animal was allegedly fed with firecracker-stuffed pineapple and died, in Malappuram on May 27, 2020. (ANI via Reuters)

“In a tragic incident in Palakkad district, a pregnant elephant has lost its life. An investigation is underway, focusing on three suspects. We will do everything possible to bring the culprits to justice,” Vijayan tweeted. The CM assured the people that justice would be done.

“Many of you have reached out to us. We want to assure you that your concerns won’t go in vain. Justice will prevail,” he further tweeted.

Vijayan also said it was unfortunate that some people were using this tragedy to unleash a hate campaign.

“We are saddened by the fact some have used this tragedy to unleash a hate campaign. Lies built upon inaccurate descriptions and half-truths were used to obliterate the truth. Some even tried to import bigotry into the narrative. Wrong priorities,” he said.

“We won’t leave any stone unturned to investigate properly and nab the culprit (s). This is not an Indian culture to feed firecrackers and kill an animal,” Javadekar tweeted.

The elephant was fatally injured after it ate a pineapple stuffed with crackers that exploded in its mouth and broke the jaw.

The elephant’s painful death sparked a public outcry. The incident is believed to have occurred on May 27.

According to forest officials, the elephant might have swallowed the fruit filled with crackers that were meant to trap wild boars.