Minister in a spot over safari hunt photographs
MUMBAI: Maharashtra's minister of state for education Fauzia Khan is in
a tight corner as photos from a holiday trip she made to South Africa
earlier this year are being circulated in India. In them, the minister
is seen holding a hunting rifle and posing with dead wild animals like
zebra, springbuck, impala and wildebeest.
As the controversy broke out, the company which arranged the safaris removed all images of Khan and her family from its website
Animal lovers have reacted sharply to these snaps and demanded Khan's resignation. When TOI spoke to Khan in Nagpur, she said, "I had gone for a very private holiday trip to South Africa with my family this summer. In that country, the culling of certain wild animals is allowed by their forest department, depending on the carrying capacity of the jungle. So, I have only posed for a few photos with culled wild animals. We did not break any law."
Asked why she was smiling during the poses, especially since in India it is considered cruel and illegal to kill wild animals, she said, "I was on a private holiday trip; so, there is nothing wrong in smiling. Also, I personally did not cull or hunt the animals in South Africa; it was done by a professional person present there."
About reactions to her safari snaps, she said, "It was wrong to put these very private holiday pictures of mine on any website. Again, I did not break any law. When you go as a tourist to, say, Kashmir or Rajasthan, you do pose for pictures in their traditional costumes. That is why that gun is also seen in the pictures."
Meanwhile, media personality and animal rights activist Pritish Nandy said, "It is not a question of legality, but of morality. There is no justification whatsoever for a state minister to pose with a gun in front of freshly killed wild animals. This is shameful. She must step down as minister of state for education."
Mumbai-based RTI activist Anil Galgali from the NGO Athak Seva Sangh said, "Fauzia Khan must resign today itself; otherwise, the Maharashtra chief minister must sack her." NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said, "In some resorts of Africa, shooting is legal. The law of the land must prevail. If Fauzia Khan is saying she was not part of a shoot, we must trust her." But the BJP's Devendra Fadnavis said, "This must be looked into... In our country, hunting is not permitted. If found guilty, she must apologize."
Interestingly, the official website of Umlilo Safaris, which conducts tours, has removed the photographs featuring Khan and the animals.
(Inputs by Sharad Vyas)
As the controversy broke out, the company which arranged the safaris removed all images of Khan and her family from its websiteAnimal lovers have reacted sharply to these snaps and demanded Khan's resignation. When TOI spoke to Khan in Nagpur, she said, "I had gone for a very private holiday trip to South Africa with my family this summer. In that country, the culling of certain wild animals is allowed by their forest department, depending on the carrying capacity of the jungle. So, I have only posed for a few photos with culled wild animals. We did not break any law."
Asked why she was smiling during the poses, especially since in India it is considered cruel and illegal to kill wild animals, she said, "I was on a private holiday trip; so, there is nothing wrong in smiling. Also, I personally did not cull or hunt the animals in South Africa; it was done by a professional person present there."
About reactions to her safari snaps, she said, "It was wrong to put these very private holiday pictures of mine on any website. Again, I did not break any law. When you go as a tourist to, say, Kashmir or Rajasthan, you do pose for pictures in their traditional costumes. That is why that gun is also seen in the pictures."
Meanwhile, media personality and animal rights activist Pritish Nandy said, "It is not a question of legality, but of morality. There is no justification whatsoever for a state minister to pose with a gun in front of freshly killed wild animals. This is shameful. She must step down as minister of state for education."
Mumbai-based RTI activist Anil Galgali from the NGO Athak Seva Sangh said, "Fauzia Khan must resign today itself; otherwise, the Maharashtra chief minister must sack her." NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said, "In some resorts of Africa, shooting is legal. The law of the land must prevail. If Fauzia Khan is saying she was not part of a shoot, we must trust her." But the BJP's Devendra Fadnavis said, "This must be looked into... In our country, hunting is not permitted. If found guilty, she must apologize."
Interestingly, the official website of Umlilo Safaris, which conducts tours, has removed the photographs featuring Khan and the animals.
(Inputs by Sharad Vyas)
The UN affiliated OIPA in India and PFA Haryana demands immediate resignation, Say No to animal abusers.
ReplyDelete