Kerala Assembly polls 2026: forum files plaint with CEO against Thrissur Collector over use of elephant in awareness video

The Heritage Animal Task Force has lodged a complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer, Kerala, alleging that Thrissur District Collector Shikha Surendran unlawfully used a live elephant in a voter awareness video under the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) campaign.

According to the complaint, the use of a captive elephant for election-related publicity violates existing legal and regulatory norms. Task force secretary V.K. Venkitachalam said the Supreme Court, through an order dated August 18, 2015, effectively barred the use of live elephants in Kerala except for traditional temple festivals.

He alleged that the Collector, who also chairs the district monitoring committee under the Kerala Captive Elephant Management and Maintenance Rules, 2012, has acted in violation of the very rules she is mandated to enforce.

“There are strict restrictions on the use of live animals for election-related activities. A Forest department circular clearly states that no one other than the mahout is permitted to touch a captive elephant. However, in the video, the Collector is seen touching the animal,” Mr. Venkitachalam claimed.

Action sought

He added that the district already has multiple robotic elephants that could have been used instead of a live animal for such campaigns.

The forum has demanded action against the Collector, alleging a serious breach of animal welfare norms and election guidelines.