Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: A five-year-old elephant is at the center of a mounting legal storm in Assam. Officials seized the animal in Golaghat last Friday following reports it was soliciting money from devotees at Sri Sri Athkheliya Namghar. Residents complained the elephant caused disturbances, prompting intervention from the Giladhari Beat Office.
Trouble started immediately. The mahouts claimed the elephant belonged to one Asraf Ali. When forest staff demanded proof, Ali’s daughter promised papers that never arrived. Instead, the animal vanished. It was moved to Golaghat on Saturday morning before a single document reached the range office.
Conservationist Bedanta Gogoi slammed the move. He noted the elephant is handled by Hindi-speaking mahouts from Uttar Pradesh rather than local staff. Gogoi questioned the decision to relocate the animal before ownership was verified. "This is very mysterious and suspicious," he stated. He suggested the move points to a broader scheme to ship the elephant out of the state.
Technical evidence deepens the mystery. A Trovan reader scan revealed a fresh, unregistered microchip number. This discrepancy suggests the animal may have been captured from the wild recently. It contradicts any status as a legally captive elephant. Sources also tied Ali to past incidents involving the interstate transport of elephants.
The move from the Digboi forest division in Tinsukia to Golaghat bypassed standard law. The Captive Elephants (Transfer or Transport) Rules, 2024, require specific clearance from wildlife authorities. No transfer permits exist. Golaghat DFO Mukut Ch Das has refused to comment on the procedural breach. The department remains silent while questions about ownership and potential falsified records grow.
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