Cop Who Refused To Shoot An Elephant

June 18, 2004

Cop Who Refused To Shoot An ElephantK.F. Rustamji

http://pets.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1191395323..cms

[TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

Here's an account of Russel, a cop in the Madhya Pradesh Police, who refused orders to shoot an elephant because he did not believe in it. And yet, he 'got' the elephant! Not everyone has the courage to stand up for a belief. He did. After the press and the public took on the MP cops for killing a 'rogue' elephant , Russel was called in to shoot another .

The Police Messes Up An Elephant Hunt The Madhya Pradesh police was in the midst of a lucky spell in the anti-dacoit campaign. Every month we brought down a gang, and the morale was so high that I felt anything was possible for our men.

Then an incident occurred in Damoh, which shook us. An elephant gone must , attacked and killed a few people – and the collector decided he would have to be shot.

He unwisely decided to do it himself.

A section of the armed police, however, was deputed without his knowledge to back him. With dreams of a photograph in The Times of India with his victorious leg on the elephant and his hand showing the Magnum rifle, the collector, an experienced shikari , went after the elephant, took a shot, missed, and injured him in the leg. The poor beast went thrashing about in anger, uprooting trees, threatening to push a bus into a nalah , and making piercing, piteous, cries, which could be heard for miles.

The SAF was pressed into service and the animal took several more shots till a burst from the LMG put him out of his misery.

It was unfortunate that the day the elephant was felled turned out to be Ganesh Chaturthi. A hartal was observed in the town, processions were taken out and women went into mourning.

The media took up the topic. Sixty-nine shots were actually counted on the poor animal by a journalist. The legislative uproar that followed was discussed for years. We hung our heads in shame. What was hardest to bear was the way in which men like Ron Noronha, our chief secretary, made remarks about our shooting ability – 69 shots, 69 steps to murder, 69 reasons for police brutality. Nobody seemed to remember the dacoits shot dead.

A few months later Ron said, ''I have got another problem for you. I'm coming over to break it gently to you''. ''Ron, wait. What is it about?" I asked suspiciously.

I went to his house and met him in the room, which had fishnets, rods of various kinds, a tin of leaking Mobil oil, spent bullets, several smelly tyres, an old boat and all the bric-a-brac of a shikari turned angler, who was also chief secretary.

An elephant, I was told, had run amuck in Bhopal, killing the mahout who owned it and injuring a number of people. ''Ron'' I pleaded, ''can't you find some damned shikari as bad as you to do the job? Someone who could have photographs in all the papers''.

''The police have got to kill it'', he replied. ''It's a Cabinet decision. Send Russel. He's a crack shot. Won't miss the poor animal as they did in Damoh – 69 rounds. My god! Don't you think you ought to be answerable for the serious loss of ammunition, apart from cruelty to the animal?''

Russel Called In I sent for Russel from the lines next door, told him the story and said he should take out a squad of the Special Armed Force and destroy the animal.

''I am sorry, sir, I can't do it'', he said.

''Why? If I may ask,'' I said, wondering whether it was wife's sickness, lumbago or shortage of ammunition.

''On principle, sir. I am sorry. I refuse to kill an elephant. On principle.'' ''What do you mean principle? It is a government order – Cabinet'', I added lamely. ''Sorry sir, I have never killed a human being. Still I may do that. But, I can't kill an elephant.''

The sheer cheek of the man made me absolutely speechless with anger. ''If you don't go'', I shouted, ''you will get hell'. He went out, came back and told me that he would go, and left the room in a hurry.

"Good man, Russel," I said to myself. The fellow has a sense of duty. He will do the job better than anyone else. Could try and get him a medal if he does a neat job, I made a mental note.

But doubts soon began to appear. Day after day I waited for the report. There was no news either of Russel or the elephant. I began to get worried. Perhaps he had been killed - trampled into some jheel - kicked into a tree stump or left dead somewhere in the jungle.

There were other doubts too. Perhaps in his rather mystic frame of mind he had gone away to some monastery in the mountains to atone for the sin of killing an elephant.

Search parties were sent out. They came back with the news that the elephant had left the area and the armed squad that was with him had been sent back by Russel as he did not need it. But nobody could say what had happened to Russel. No news at all.

Russel Returns, Tired And Hungry Seven days later, a mud-spattered Russel walked into my office. He had the growth of a week's beard. His trousers were torn at several places, his eyes seemed half closed, and he looked very, very tired and hungry. He saluted sadly.

''I have got him'', he said slowly.

''Good, congratulations. How many shots did you have to put into him?'' I asked. ''I have brought the elephant back with me. He has been tied up in police headquarters''. While looking at the elephant cosily munching sugarcane, the centre of an adoring crowd, I asked Russel how he had done it.

''It was not easy'', he said. ''We kept on following him day after day, trying to be friends."

"First he was very angry because there were too many of us. So I sent back the section of armed police. Then he became less difficult. Finally, he took sugarcane and fruit I had kept for him, and lastly he began to eat out of my hands. "

"Then I led him back into Bhopal. I am very sorry about the delay. But, you know sir,'' he said sadly, ''he seems very cut up because he had killed the mahout. He was crying, I am sure. He told me that in so many words. In fact, there were tears in his eyes.''

When Russel retired a few months later, I wrote to him, ''Men like you have made the Madhya Pradesh police a force to be proud of''.

I recently got a picture postcard (of kangaroos) from Russel in Australia inquiring about the health of 'his elephant'