Assam: Joymala was gifted or sold to Tamil Nadu temple?

While stories of Joymala, the elephant from Assam, who faced extreme torture in the hands of her mahouts in a temple on Tamil Nadu, are still trending, a four-member team from Assam constituted by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma have reached the southern state of Tamil Nadu to safely retrieve Joymala, from her captivity.

In a latest controversy surrounding the elephant from Assam, reports have suggested that the owner of Joymala, Girin Moran gifted the jumbo to the temple in Tamil Nadu. While a latest allegations coming from varied reports claims that Girin Moran was forced to sign 3 blank papers by a broker in Borhapjan, Tinsukia, who smuggled elephants outside Assam.

In an investigative and exclusive report by India Today NE it was found that nearly 1,000 elephants from Assam are being held captive in various states of India, mostly in the southern states. And most of these are facing torture and ill- treatment by their handlers. The issue first came to light on August 27, when the animal rights group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), released a video on Twitter showing Joymala, an elephant, being tortured by her mahouts inside a temple complex in Tamil Nadu. 

The heart-wrenching video of Joymala being tortured at the hands of her mahouts, clubbed with the exclusive report by India Today NE has triggered a string of reactions from all quarters. Bollywood actors Raveena Tandon and Adil Hussain have each individually posted about Joymala, requesting the government as well as the authorities to quickly rescue the jumbo and provide her all the necessary care and treatment she needs.

Dear @himantabiswa sir, @mkstalin , @cmpatowary, @Ramachandranmla, please send elephant Jeymalyatha (also called Joymala) to a rescue centre where she can receive specialist care, live unchained, and be in the company of other elephants. She needs help to recover from her trauma. pic.twitter.com/1qHzuM2EFr

— Raveena Tandon (@TandonRaveena) September 4, 2022

This is an urgent, earnest request to @mygovassam please make sure these Elephants are looked after and treated by professionals... May be @wti_org_india @WildlifeSOS can help as well. 🙏🏿🙏🏿 https://t.co/2DJfWwjCVK

— Adil hussain (@_AdilHussain) September 4, 2022

PETA has alleged that Joymala was subjected to torture routinely and that the mahout used pliers to painfully twist her skin to control her, even in front of the PETA team that went to the temple to inspect her. Following a complaint from PETA India, an FIR has been filed against the mahout at Virudhunagar police station, under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. In addition, a wildlife offence report under the Wild Life (Protection) Act and Tamil Nadu Captive Elephant (Management and Maintenance) Rules has also been registered, PETA said. A copy of the wildlife offence report, reportedly filed by the Tamil Nadu Forest department, is still awaited by PETA India.

A decade ago, Joymala, the elephant from Assam, was gifted to the Srivilliputhur temple in Tamil Nadu’s Virudhunagar district. She is now being kept at the nearby Krishnan Kovil temple, where the video was shot. The 18-year-old female elephant is still owned by one Girin Moran from Assam. 
 
The temple has reportedly kept Joymala in captivity illegally for more than a decade, as she was never returned to the Assam Forest department after the lease for six months had expired. One of the top Assam Forest officials says that lease agreements are made mentioning transfer of care of the elephant and not change of ownership.