The Bengal wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has moved the Circuit Bench of Calcutta High Court in Jalpaiguri district in a bizziare challenge against the forest department's move to keep a lioness named 'Sita' in the same enclosure with a lion named 'Akbar'.

Reportedly, the lion and the lioness were recently brought from Sepahijala Zoological Park in Tripura to the Bengal Safari in Siliguri.

Further, forest department officials have claimed that they did not rename the lions, but they had already been named before arriving.

The plea was mentioned before a bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya on February 16, 2024, reported Live Law. The state's forest authorities and the safari park director have been made parties to the case.

The hearing in the case is scheduled to be held on February 20 (Tuesday), sources said.

“Vishwa Hindu Parishad has with deep anguish observed that a species of cat family has been named after the name of "SITA"the consort of Lord Rama and she is a sacred deity to all Hindus across the world. Such act amounts to blasphemy and is a direct assault on the religious belief of al Hindus,” read the plea.