‘Will leave no stone unturned to nab culprits’: Javadekar on killing of pregnant elephant in Kerala’s Mallapuram

Javadekar said that the Central government has taken a “very serious note” of the incident.

The killing of a pregnant elephant in Kerala’s Mallapuram has angered the country with political leaders and eminent personalities condemning the heinous incident. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Thursday said that the Central government has taken a “very serious note” of the incident.

The incident took place on May 27 while the elephant was standing in water and forest officials said that it died standing in river Velliyar after it suffered an injury in its lower jaw. (AFP)

“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,” Javadekar said in a tweet.

Watch: Kerala elephant killing | ‘Will nab and punish the culprits’: Prakash Javadekar

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi slammed the Kerala government for not taking animal cruelty seriously.

“Mallapuram is known for its intense criminal activity especially 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,” she tweeted.

Along with her tweet, Gandhi attached a document claiming that about 600 elephants are killed by the temples “by breaking their legs, beating and starving them and otherwise by private owners by insuring them and then deliberately drowning them or giving them gangrene by putting rusted nails on them. I talk to the department almost every week about an elephant and they do absolutely nothing.”

She also asked for the removal of Kerala’s Forest Secretary. “The minister (for wildlife protection), if he has any sense, should resign. Rahul Gandhi is from that area, why has he not taken action?,” she told ANI.