Guwahati (Assam) [India], September 15 : The transfer of a five-year-old elephant named ‘Durga’ from Manas National Park to the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Tamil Nadu has triggered widespread concern and outrage across Assam. 
Strongly condemning the manner in which the elephant was sent out of the state without keeping the people of Assam informed, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee President Gaurav Gogoi criticised the government for the move.
Referring to reports that the elephant is being kept tied within the temple premises in Tamil Nadu, he said the alleged sale of Durga to the Meenakshi Amman Temple for monetary consideration after being taken from Manas National Park on September 7 has angered the people of Assam, according to the release. 
Gogoi described the alleged decision to send the five-year-old elephant outside the state under the cover of darkness at night, without making any information public and without keeping the people informed about the circumstances surrounding the transfer.
Making a further explosive allegation, the Congress president said that Durga is not an isolated case and claimed that nearly 1,200 elephants from Assam have already been sent outside the state in a similar manner, while the people of Assam remain completely unaware of the circumstances surrounding such transfers, as stated in the release.
Expressing deep concern over the entire episode, Gaurav Gogoi has demanded that the authorities of Manas National Park and the Assam government make all relevant information regarding the transfer public
He made it clear that Durga must be brought back safely from Tamil Nadu to her home state of Assam at the earliest.
He also demanded that the government publicly disclose all relevant details concerning the elephant, including her actual age, ownership and place of residence, so that the people of Assam are fully informed about her identity and circumstances.