The Joymala controversy is now turning into a political fight between the governments of Assam and Tamil Nadu. Elephant Joymala from Assam is now in captivity at Srivilliputhur Andal temple in Tamil Nadu and has become the topic of the political challenge between the two states. On Wednesday, the Assam government filed a petition in Guwahati High Court for the return of elephants, including Joymala.
This came after a team of officers of the forest department of Assam went to see and investigate the condition of Joymala and other elephants in the temples of Tamil Nadu but were denied access to enter temple premises.
The elephant, named Joymala or Jeymalyatha, was reportedly transported from Assam along with 36 other elephants, where a contract was signed between the governments of Assam and Tamil Nadu.
Animal welfare organization PETA claims that for over 10 years, the elephant had been kept near the temple in Thirukovil. After PETA’s complaint, a picture of the mahout’s torture of Joymala came to the fore.
A video of Joymala being brutally tortured by a caretaker went viral on social media. Seeing this, the Assam government decided to send a team from its forest department and rescue Joymala who has been in captivity by the temple authorities.
Speaking to CNN-NEWS18, Principal Chief Conservator of forest MK Yadav said, “The state government thus filed a petition regarding Joymala and other elephants in Tamil Nadu. In the petition, we stated the elephant is ours and we asked for its return. There is no legal connection between gift or lease. It was a lease and it is the duty of the person to return the animal. We had earlier appealed to them to return the elephants. There are a total of nine elephants in Tamil Nadu.”
It must be mentioned that the Tamil Nadu government has also filed a case against PETA for recirculating a two-year-old video of Joymala being tortured. According to the TN government, the mahout has already been punished.
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