On February 22nd, the Tripura Government suspended IFS officer Pravin L Agrawal (1994 batch) over the contention over naming a lion and lioness ‘Akbar’ and ‘Sita’ who were sent to Bengal Safari Park in Siliguri from Tripura’s Sepahijala Zoological Park on February 12. The matter garnered immense attention after the northern West Bengal unit of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) filed a case over the matter in the Calcutta High Court, highlighting how the names given to the big cats hurt “religious sentiments.” The court also requested the West Bengal Zoo Authority to consider renaming the lioness and lion.

Mr. Agrawal, incumbent as the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife & Ecotourism), was suspended on February 22 because he was the chief wildlife warden of Tripura during the relocation process of the animals from Tripura to Bengal.