A court in West Bengal, India, has ordered a zoo to replace the names of a ‘interfaith’ lion couple after objections from a conservative Hindu party, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), which claimed the names were disrespectful to their religious sensitivities, according to news.
The lioness, originally called after the Hindu goddess Sita, and the lion, named Akbar after the 16th-century Mughal ruler Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, ignited a judicial battle over alleged blasphemy.
The VHP, affiliated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claimed that naming the lioness after a deity was blasphemous and opposed maintaining the lions in the same wildlife park.
The court ruled that animals should not be named after Hindu gods, Muslim prophets, or famous Christian personalities.
Justice Saugata Bhattacharya questioned the choice of names, proposing alternatives such as “Bijli” (lightning) to avoid controversy. The court also considered whether it was permissible to name pets, especially dogs, after individuals.
The VHP, citing the hallowed significance of Sita in Hindu beliefs, condemned the naming act as blasphemy and an attack on the religious emotions of Hindus worldwide.
The organization accused West Bengal officials, led by an opposition party, of deliberate activities and warned protests unless the lions’ names and positions were changed.
Vinod Bansal, a VHP spokesperson, stated that Sita and Akbar should not coexist and advocated for the huge cats’ relocation as well as a name change.
The court’s decision to intervene demonstrates the nexus between cultural and religious sensitivities surrounding the naming of animals in the Indian context.
