HYDERABAD: Age-old traditions of a caparisoned elephant carrying Bonalu and participating in a Moharrum procession might be under jeopardy. Due to a recent High Court order, the famous elephant Rajani, housed in the city zoo, can no longer be made available for processions.
The Sri Akkanna Madanna Mahankali Mandiram (SAMMM) and Fatima Seva Dal Society, who organise the annual Bonalu and Moharrum (Bibi ka Alam) processions in Old City, however, have demanded the State government to provide the elephant Rajini as usual. SAMMM has requested Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to convene a meeting to solve the problem soon as Bonalu is only two months away.
They have also claimed the State government did not provide necessary details to the High Court, which led to the court order.
SAMMM president G Niranjan and FSDS general secretary Aliuddin Arif has requested the government to appeal in the High Court to clear the impediments so that the age-old traditions could go ahead without interruption.
The Chief Principal Conservator of Forests had earlier asked Bonalu organisers to hire elephants from other States. “This is ridiculous. Why should we hire animals from elsewhere when we have our own’’, Niranjan said.