VHP Moves Calcutta High Court Over Lioness Being Named 'Sita' & Housed With Lion Named 'Akbar' At Siliguri Safari Park

The Bengal wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has moved the Calcutta High Court's Circuit Bench at Jalpaiguri, challenging the forest department's move to name a lioness 'Sita' and keep it in the same enclosure as a lion named 'Akbar' at Siliguri's Safari park.

According to reports, the pair had been recently brought in from Sepahijala Zoological Park in Tripura, and forest department officials have claimed that they did not rename the lions, but they had already been named before arriving on the 13th of February.

The plea was mentioned before a bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya on 16th February 2024 and has been listed for hearing on 20th February.

“Vishwa Hindu Parishad has with deep anguish observed that a species of cat family has been named after the name of "SITA"the consort of Lord Rama and she is sacred deity to all Hindus across the world. Such act amounts to blasphemy and is a direct assault on the religious belief of al Hindus,” read the plea. 

“That to the utmost surprise of the petitioners on 14/02/2024 Uttar Banga Sambad carried a news item with the heading "Sangir khoje astir Sita" (Sita restless in search of a partner). Incidentally the male lion was given the name of "Akbar". The said article and indicated in a lewd way and represented the news in a much objection manner which was bound to hurt the religious sentiments of all Hindus across the country,” it added.

Notably, Akbar was one of the renowned Mughal Emperors of the subcontinent, while Sita, is a character in Valmiki's Ramayana, and is considered a deity in the Hindu religion.

The VHP has claimed that the lions had been named by the State's forest department and asked for the name of SITA to be changed.

The State's Forest Authorities and Bengal's Safari Park director have been made parties to the case.

The plea will now be heard on Tuesday, 20th February.