The Supreme Court of India has scheduled a hearing to assess contempt allegations against West Bengal authorities accused of defying its directives to stop using fireballs for managing human-elephant conflicts. The plea, pushed forward by environmental activist Prerna Singh Bindra, points to repeated violations where brutal methods like fireballs and spikes were employed against elephants approaching human settlements and agricultural areas.
On Thursday, Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanthan responded to the plea by issuing a notice to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force) in West Bengal, with a follow-up hearing set four weeks later. The court will examine claims that the state has continued to use these harsh tactics despite clear Supreme Court orders from August and December of 2018, which demanded immediate cessation of such practices.
The incidents cited in the contempt plea include a distressing encounter on August 15, 2024, near Jhargram town, where a tusker allegedly killed an elderly resident, leading to a violent human response involving local youths armed with iron rods and burning torches. The plea highlights the horror of a female elephant collapsing after being struck by a fire-lit torch, underscoring the ongoing cruelty in conflict management.
The plea also references a prior incident from April 2023 in the Kalaikunda range of the Kharagpur division, where elephants were chased by a group wielding torches. These continued actions not only contradict the Supreme Court’s directives but also breach the state’s commitment to exploring non-violent conflict mitigation strategies.
