‘Ensure justice for elephants’

A Moulvibazar court yesterday ordered forest department and police officials to investigate the issue of using torture and abuse to train elephants in Juri upazila.

The court also ordered them to submit a report by February 15.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Muhammod Ali Ahsan issued the order, in response to a The Daily Star report, published on January 28, under section 25 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to ensure "Environmental Justice".

The Daily Star report -- "Torture, abuse, separation: Story of domesticating elephants" -- brought to light the heinous training method, known locally as "Hadani"', that the owners use in order to domesticate the elephants.

The "Hadani" employs brutal training methods, including tying up baby elephants after separating them from their mothers. The magistrate also served a show-cause notice to Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, divisional forest officer, and OC Sanjoy Chakraborty of Juri police.

They were ordered to submit reports, mentioning names and details of people behind this so-called training; how the elephants came to be owned (whether they were purchased or captured from the wild); what steps were taken against "Hadani" and more.

Rezaul Karim said, "I will respond to it immediately and accordingly [upon receiving it]."

In the court order, the magistrate stated that the so-called training is a clear violation of the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act 2012, mentioning that the people behind it are to be convicted under section 39, 40 and 41 of the law.