The elephant in the (court)room

A court in Assam is seized with a peculiar custodial dispute involving an elephant and her calf. The duo (Indian and Bangladeshi) was brought to the court on Thursday for inspection by a magistrate who has to decide on claims made by two sides on the elephants. 

The Hailakandi court in Assam’s Barak Valley has heard many cases in the past related to smuggling and trafficking of human and other cross border crimes — courtesy the district’s international border with Bangladesh. For a change, the court, is now hearing a case related to ‘trafficking’ of two elephants.

While two persons from Bangladesh claimed that the elephants — a mother and a calf — belonged to them and stolen in January this year, another person from Hailakandi said he was the owner of the elephants, which were stolen from him about seven years back.On Monday police found the two elephants in an abandoned condition from near the lakhirbond village in the district and brought them to the police lines. The police also arrested one person for his suspected involvement in smuggling the elephant.

Md Makhlisur Rahman, who hails from neighbouring Bangladesh, arrived in Hailakandi on Tuesday and claimed the custody of the elephants. He had lodged a complaint with police in his country on January 28 this year saying that he had lost his elephants. He said that he tracked the elephants through his relatives in Assam’s Barak Valley and in Tripura.

His claim was, however, challenged by one Manjurul Islam Barbhuiyan, a local of Hailakandi and said that the elephants went missing about seven years back. “I believe my elephants were smuggled to Bangladesh. I am the real owner of the elephants and I must get its custody,” he said.

“We have took the elephants to the court of judicial magistrate here for a direction. The court heard both the parties and handed over the custody of the elephants to the forest department till June 23,” said Hailakandi Superintendent of Police Rajen Singh. The court has also asked the police to submit a report to the court on June 23, police said.“We are investigating the matter and we would submit the report to the court on Tuesday,” said the SP.