Hyderabad: Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao was criticised by the state Congress party for violating wildlife laws by putting the Indian roller (referred to in Telugu as palapitta) in a cage on the occasion of Dussehra.
The CM was pulled up by the opposition party for putting the Indian roller (which also happens to be the state bird of Telangana) in the cage. Animal rights activists and members of opposition expressed their anger against the chief minister and the government employees who resorted to this action.
There is a generally held belief in Telangana that spotting the Indian roller on Dussehra is considered to be auspicious.
“KCR is wrong if he thinks that if he ignores the wildlife law and puts the milk quail in a cage and sees it on Dussehra day, he will get success! @TelanganaCMO Your sin, wickedness, exploitation, the sin of the unemployed, peasants and common people under your rule will surely bring you down. Just a few days! Your story is over,” the Telangana Congress tweeted.
Under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, it is an offense to trap endangered birds. Serious action could be taken against individuals by wild life boards at the Centre and state levels if they are found to violate the law.
It is also worth noting that the chief minister is the chairman of Telangana board for wildlife.
