KCR urged to allow elephant for Moharrum

The Sri Akkanna Madanna Mahankali Mandiram and the Mujawer Alawa Bi Bi of the Moharrum procession on Saturday urged Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao to instruct the State Forest Department to allow the use of elephant ‘Rajani’ housed in the Nehru Zoological Park for the annual Bonalu and Moharrum processions in the city.

Addressing a press conference, Mandiram president G Niranjan and Aliuddin Arif, the Mujawer Alawa Bi Bi of the Moharrum procession, said the Department was taking refuge under the High Court order on March 18 this year that the elephant should not be



allowed to be hired for the processions. The Department in its counter affidavit on using the elephant for the processions did not reveal to the court that Rajani was purchased by the Nizam’s Trust for the purpose of being allowed to lead the processions. On April 17, the Forest Department wrote to the State government saying procession organisers can hire elephants from other States. They said the Department did not reveal to the court that the Central Zoo Authority had said that the decision for providing the elephant vests with the Chief Wildlife Warden in the State.