New Delhi – Kodam Pranay Kumar has been arrested and taken into custody after a video of him cooking and eating the peacock, a protected national bird of the country, sparked outrage, the police said.
The police said that the bird he had cooked for his ‘Curry Dish‘ video was actually a peacock and was arrested and sent to jail after it was ‘confirmed from other videos on his mobile phone’.
In India, colorful birds peacocks are protected under strict wildlife laws. Akhil Mahajan, superintendent of police in the southern state of Telangana, said, “He is now in 14-day custody under the Wildlife Protection Act and the court will decide whether he remains in jail or gets bail.”
Investigators are trying to find out how and from where Kumar managed to get the peacock for the video. The video was later removed.
According to a report by the Times of India, the video shows him cooking peacock meat and it was ‘allegedly a stunt to attract more viewers.’ “Although the response was far beyond his expectations”, the newspaper said, “social media users condemned the video, accusing Kumar of promoting illegal wildlife consumption and disrespecting the national symbol.”
Known for its bright blue color and magnificent feathers, the Indian peacock has a special symbolic importance in India. The throne of the Mughal ruling dynasty of India was also called the Peacock Throne because it was depicted as a bejeweled peacock. Peacocks were once abundant in the northern Indian plains.
In the last few decades, due to rapid urbanization and habitat loss, the number of peacocks in the forest has decreased significantly. They are protected from being hunted or harmed under wildlife laws with strict punishments and fines.
Discussion about this post