A senior Indian Forest Service officer has been suspended after naming a lion and lioness at a zoo in Tripura as Akbar and Sita - sparking complaints that religious sentiments had been offended. The 1994-batch officer was serving as the states Chief Wildlife Warden when he logged the names in records before the animals were transferred to a safari park in West Bengal on February 12th.However, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) subsequently filed a petition to the Calcutta High Court demanding the offensive names be changed. Their complaint stated that naming the lion Akbar and lioness Sita had hurt the religious feelings of some citizens. VHP lawyer Subhankar Dutta said: The court expressed its displeasure over the naming.” A regular bench will hear the case soon.Last week, the judge reportedly observed orally: “An animal should not be named after any deity or religious figure.” He noted Sita is revered by many Hindus whilst Akbar was a prominent and secular Mughal emperor. In their filing, the VHPs North Bengal unit stated they became aware through media coverage that a transferred lioness had been labelled Sita under the animal exchange programme.The judge affirmed that India is a secular nation where all communities should be able to practice their faith without controversy. He questioned: Why draw controversy by naming a lioness and lion in this way”
