Govt permit brings cobras back to Battis Shirala after 23 years; activists report violations at Nagpanchami event

Time of India

6 days ago

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Kolhapur: Live snake displays returned to Battis Shirala on the occasion of Nagpanchami after a gap of nearly 23 years as govt employed an "educational purposes" workaround to a 2014 Supreme Court ban on capture, display and worship of the reptiles.
In this Sangli district town, located 50km from here, 21 men handled live Indian cobras (Naja naja) on Tuesday after obtaining special permits.
The permits, issued by Srinivasa Rao, the chief wildlife warden and principal chief conservator of forests, Nagpur, on Monday (July 28), allowed the capture of the cobras solely for educational purposes aimed at promoting traditional knowledge on snake conservation. The permits are given to 21 residents of Battis Shirala to capture the snakes over five days starting July 27, under Section 12 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and Maharashtra Wildlife Protection Rules, 2014.
Each permit holder has paid Rs 1,427 to the forest department and is required to release the snakes back into their natural habitat without any mortality.
However, despite the ministry of environment, forests and climate change's explicit stipulation that "no commercial or entertainment of any kind shall be permitted," animal rights activists reported some violations at the event.
Sangli-based animal rights activist Koustubh Pol, who witnessed the Nagpanchami celebrations in Battis Shirala on Tuesday, criticised the event.
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"Strangely, the permission was given on the eve of Nagpanchami, and yet almost a hundred Nag mandals had cobras on the morning of the festival. If all this is for an educational purpose, then why was the permit given only for Battis Shirala village? This looks pre-planned for political benefits.
Though permission was given for 21 snakes, almost 100 Nag mandals took part in the celebrations with live cobras."
Rahul Shinde, an ophiologist based in Solapur, argued that the display of snakes during the festival violated the Supreme Court order.
"The permits were issued in haste. Those who are really into snake conservation efforts are punished for handling the snakes. At the same time, such permissions are granted. This is not okay. Did the authorities check whether the snakes are fed well and looked after before granting the permission? The snakes get stressed when they are surrounded by humans; they are cold-blooded animals and cannot withstand the high body temperature of humans.
Also, ground vibrations due to the high-decibel sounds make snakes susceptible to strokes. They may ultimately die," he said.
The TOI team visiting Battis Shirala also observed snakes being removed from pots and crowds dancing to high-decibel music. Informational posters were displayed only when snakes were taken out of the pots. Officials had expected the snakes to be showcased on platforms with informative boards in the background, with only the permit holders handling the snakes and providing oral information to the public.
Jaysing Mahadik, forest ranger of the Shirala forest range, said, "The 21 mandals were given specific places to display one snake each and make people aware of the importance of the snake. The permission was given to do away with the misconceptions, which lead to the killing of snakes. We will gather all details on if the permit rules were violated after all teams sit together and will subsequently proceed with the action prescribed.
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Bajrang Tukaram Kadam, a 35-year-old member of the Shri Ganesh Nagraj Mandal, adhered to the directives by explaining the ecological importance of snakes to visitors. "Snakes do not drink milk. They are friends of farmers. There are very few species that are venomous; however, due to fear and superstition, people tend to kill all snakes. Snakes are an important part of the ecosystem," he said.
Battis Shirala had not displayed live cobras for 23 years before this year's event.
The town is renowned for its long-standing tradition of worshipping live cobras during Nagpanchami. According to Siddharth Patil, a young resident, the community ensures that no snakes are harmed during the capture and worship process. "My father told me that experienced people associated with nag mandals used to go out after the Bendur festival, around two weeks before Nagpanchami, to catch the snakes.
No snake was harmed.
The snakes were nurtured, and after worship, they were released into their habitat. We consider the snake a god, and no one wants to harm snakes in any way," he said.
Local residents, including women from the town's population of 35,000, consider cobras their brothers. Sadhana Naik, a resident, expressed gratitude towards govt for facilitating the worship, saying, "For us, the snakes are brothers. We thank govt for finding a way out to help us worship our brother."
In 2014, the Supreme Court ruled that capturing, displaying, or worshipping live snakes was not protected as a fundamental religious right and violated wildlife protection laws. Cobra and other venomous snakes such as Russell's viper, spectacled cobra, and monocled cobra are listed as Schedule I part C animal in the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, to ensure their conservation.