PETA has filed a petition in the Madras High Court on Saturday to separate the elephant Lakshmi from its home in Manakkula Ganesha temple.
This move of PETA comes just 2 weeks after Puducherry’s Chief Minister intervened and brought the elephant back to its home from where PETA had kept her.
Lakshmi had returned to the temple after she was kept in incarceration for 40 days with scanty food and water and no proper shelter.
Murali, an animal welfare activist has mentioned that the Puducherry Forest Department is trying to bring Lakshmi elephant under their control through the Tamil Nadu Captive Elephants (Management and Maintenance) Rules, 2011.He had posted a video in which Lakshmi can be seen at her home with all required facilities.
The Indu Makkal Katchi has alleged that foreign NGOs are interfering in cultural traditions of the Hindus.
“We warn that this time we will not face PETA only through the internet and will do anything to keep Lakshmi in the temple,” the IMK said in a tweet.
@PrakashJavdekar यहां लक्ष्मी रहती है. आपके फॉरेस्ट डिपार्टमेंट को डराके @Manekagandhibjp उसे अपने शेल्टर मैं रखके इंडिया का नाम खराब करके, फिरंगियों से डोनेशन मांगती है! क्या आप सहमत है? @PMOIndia @VNarayanasami @americai @SanjaySDutt @RahulGandhi pic.twitter.com/zA2HE9snIP
— Muraliத் தேவரின் குரல்! (@rawincare1) August 2, 2020
Earlier, Lakshmi was displaced from her home in Manakula Vinayagar Temple by taking her away reportedly in an unethical and illegal manner. She was kept at Krishi Vigyan Kendra in a pathetic condition. Various Hindu organizations mobilized a campaign to rescue Lakshmi from PETA. They had sought the intervention of Puducherry Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy to bring back Lakshmi home. Following this, Lakshmi was brought back to the Puducherry Manakkula Vinayagar Temple from the Kamaraj Agricultural Science Center in Kurumbapet.