A temple in a South Delhi flat is set to get an elephant, all the way from Assam

The proposed transfer of the elephant to a residential neighbourhood comes six years after a Delhi High Court order led to the rescue of Delhi’s last captive elephants. Housing an elephant in Sainik Farm, a residential neighbourhood with a chronic water shortage, sets the clock back on that order, say animal rights activists.

Inside the plush, air-conditioned Baglamukhi temple in Delhi’s Greater Kailash Part II. (Photo by Jay Mazoomdar)

This April, say sources in the Assam forest department, a High-Powered Committee (HPC) on elephant rehabilitation forwarded to the office of the state Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW) an application by Siba Nath Doley, owner of a female elephant named Ranjita in Jorhat, who wanted to transfer the animal to the Delhi temple. In 2023, the Supreme Court had put the HPC, headed by retired Justice Deepak Verma, in charge of the welfare and rehabilitation of all seized or rescued elephants across India.

In July, the Assam CWLW’s office sought the opinion of its counterpart in Delhi on the proposed transfer. Following a prod by the HPC to “expedite the matter”, the divisional forest officer (DFO) of south Delhi inspected the proposed housing facilities in Sainik Farm where “everything was found to be in order”.

On the status of the proposal, Assam CWLW Sandeep Kumar said, “The Delhi forest department has not objected to the proposed transfer. However, the Assam government is still examining the matter. We are also looking into some representations we received from civil society groups. A final decision is awaited.”

Asked if Sainik Farm is fit to house an elephant, Delhi CWLW Shyam Sundar Kandpal said that he “took charge only recently” — in the last week of September — and was not apprised of the matter.

DFO (South Delhi) Vipul Pandey declined to comment.

‘Guruji’s’ ashram at Sainik Farm where the elephant is to be housed. (Photo by Jay Mazoomdar)

Shiv Kumar Rai alias Guruji, who runs the plush, air-conditioned Baglamukhi temple in Delhi’s Greater Kailash Part II, did not respond to emails asking on what terms the elephant in question would be acquired from its owner in Jorhat and the rationale for transferring the animal to a residential neighbourhood in south Delhi.

The Baglamukhi temple, along with the Shree Yogini Peetham Trust, was set up by Rai with one Chandra Mani Mishra at the Greater Kailash address. During February-March 2018, Rai and Mishra joined Maheish Girri, then BJP MP from East Delhi, to organise a series of events culminating in the weeklong Rashtra Raksha Mahayagya.

Attended by over a dozen members of the Union and Delhi Cabinets, including Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari and Manish Sisodia, the mega event had over a thousand priests praying to Goddess Baglamukhi for the “protection of the nation” and the “defeat of enemies”, both “external and internal”.

On the phone, Chandra Mani Mishra claimed that he and Rai parted ways by the end of 2018. “I don’t know if my name is still there (in the Shree Yogini Peetham Trust) on paper but we went different ways soon after the 2018 events. I am not aware of any of their activities since then,” he said.

When The Indian Express visited the temple-apartment in Greater Kailash, a young priest-cum-functionary said Rai was meditating. “Guruji meets devotees by appointment. But this is a private matter and Guruji would not want to discuss it. All arrangements are in place for the elephant. You can talk to Guruji’s PA,” he said.

Ratan Kumar Dubey, “Guruji’s PA” who holds 33% stakes in Maa Baglamukhi Mandir Divine Products Pvt Ltd, said he could not share any information. Rai (34%) and his brother Shubham (33%) are the other shareholders since the company was established at the Greater Kailash address in 2019.

At Sainik Farm, the staff denied access to the high-walled compound that houses multiple animal sheds. A couple of neighbours claimed they knew that “Guruji’s ashram” would soon get an elephant.

“Guruji is quite young and visits often. He mentioned an elephant. He already has horses in his stable. Camels, too,” said a real estate dealer in the neighbourhood.

Following a High Court order in 2018, six of the seven captive elephants in Delhi were rescued, the last in 2019. The seventh elephant, acquired by the Dabur Group in the 1970s, was allowed to stay on at a farmhouse in Dera Mandi.

“Delhi is not a place for elephants. After the HC helped rescue Delhi’s last captive elephants that were in physical and psychological distress, we are turning the clock back by entertaining such a proposal. This also goes against the HPC’s mandate which is the overall welfare of captive elephants,” said Alok Hisarwala Gupta, founder of the Centre for Research on Animal Rights.