Writ filed seeking probe into deaths of 84 elephants in Ctg

A writ petition has been filed with the High Court (HC) seeking an investigation into the deaths of 84 elephants in Chattogram in last 19 years.

Supreme Court lawyer Monoj Kumar Bhowmik filed the petition with the concerned department of the HC on Monday attaching a report published on an English newspaper.

The Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Chief Conservator of Forests, Conservator of Forests of Chittagong Region have been made the respondents to the writ petition.

According to the report, a total of 106 elephants died in last 19 years in Chattogram forest circle (Cox’s Bazar, part of Bandarban, Chattogram city and Rangamati) based on the information provided by the forest department. Of them, 32 died in accidents, 29 died after falling sick, 22 died due to old-age complications, 15 died from electrocution and 8 were gunned down.

In the writ, an investigation has been sought over the deaths of the remaining 84 elephants except for the 22 elephants that died due to old-age complications, the lawyer Monoj said.