In Assam, videos have gone viral regarding the transfer of elephants in Gujarat-bound trucks. Netizens have reacted on social media over the issue of elephants in Assam being transferred to private establishments in Gujarat.
However, the Assam CM Office has refuted the claims made by the opposition in this regard. “It is hereby clarified that no elephants have been transported from Assam in the recent past. Certain news items and social media posts published linking Assam to such activities are completely unwarranted and false,” the CMO Assam posted on social media platform X.
Sources close to the matter have revealed, contrary to earlier claims, the elephants being relocated to Gujarat are not from Assam, nor are they owned by individuals from the state. Sources reveal that the elephants in question are from private owners in neighbouring state, who have reportedly sent them to Gujarat.
The clarification comes after statements made by political leaders, including Bhupen Borah, the President of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), who had linked the elephants’ relocation to Assam. However, sources have now revealed that these elephants are not part of Assam’s wildlife or conservation efforts.
Private owners in Arunachal Pradesh have purportedly made the decision to send the elephants, and they have been moved to Gujarat, where they are being taken under specific arrangements. The controversy surrounding the relocation has sparked political debate, but the involvement of Assam in this matter has been ruled out.
The Opposition led by Assam Congress has cornered the Assam government over the issue. Bhupen Borah expressed dismay over the alleged relocation of Assam’s elephants to Gujarat, claiming that the decision was made to appease industrialists based in Gujarat. “Yesterday, the public cried because they had taken our elephants. These elephants are used to our environment, and this is a personal ambition of the CM,” Borah stated.