GUWAHATI: An elephant and calf in an Assam court? No, it’s not a rampage scene. Both were ‘produced’ in court on Tuesday, following an ownership row.
The curious case of missing elephant and calf had its origins in Bangladesh. Makhlisur Rahman of Kulaura in Maulvibazar district of Bangladesh had lodged a complaint with Kulaura Police on January 28 saying his elephants were missing since January 22. As days passed, Rahman informed his relatives Salemuddin and Nurul Haque at Patharkandi in Assam about the incident. He suspected the animals were stolen and taken to Kailashahar in Tripura, which shares a border with Kulaura. The duo later got in touch with Assam’s Congress legislator Monilal Goala, who took up the matter with former Assam Minister Gautam Roy.
Eventually, the jumbos were spotted in Hailakandi on Monday and handed over to the Forest Department. On information, Rahman also rushed in. But to make matters worse, a local emerged claiming that he owned the animals. The authorities then had no option but to take the elephant and calf to the Chief Judicial Magistrate Complex at Hailakandi.
Once there, Chief Judicial Magistrate Joydev Koch came out of his chamber to take a look at them. Later, he instructed Hailakandi SP Rajen Singh to probe the case and submit a report. By then, the court complex was teeming with curious onlookers.
“When Rahman caressed the calf, it responded as if they knew each other for long. Its mother too seemed to have recognised him,” a local told Express. The next hearing will be on June 23.