First, life in prison, then the death penalty. Tusker Civil Bahadur, imprisoned for three decades, died.

Dispatch News.
The 82-year-old Civil Bahadur died after being tortured in chains for three decades. For those guilty of this torture, it was as if this death was waiting for them. As soon as the tusker’s breath stopped, everyone completed their work by offering flowers. Tuesday was an ordinary day for the government staff at the Rescue Center in Ramkola, but not for nature lovers. Civil Bahadur’s only fault was that he was a mighty elephant and ruled the jungle. Dhanna Seths now has authority over the wild animals in that forest. That’s why thousands of wild animals like him will probably be put to death in this way.

Civil Bahadur reached Surguja for the first time in 1988 with a 14-member Gaj Dal via Kusmi. Then Civil Bahadur was the most powerful elephant in the team and used to attack anyone. For the first time, the elephants who reached Surguja got surrounded by the department by installing solar fencing in the Civil Daag forest. For the management of elephants, the department had called trained elephants and mahouts from Bandhavgarh. Then with the help of trained elephants, the forest officials used to transport their favourite food items, including sugarcane. Officers often used trained elephants to avoid attacks. During this, Civil Bahadur and Roopkali became very close to each other. Roopkali would reach the forest after disrupting the current by throwing green branches of trees on the electric wires, sometimes reaching near the camp of Civil Bahadur elephants. Trained mahout Nair caught him in 1989 by making a rope noose. In the blink of an eye, he would break the thick rope tied to his back leg, so mahout tied both legs with GI wire. Mahout Nair also continued to train him. Later he was kept for a long time in the Ghuria Camp in the Timor Pingla Sanctuary. He also stayed in the divisional headquarters for a few months. Later the department

Following Civil Bahadur’s death, a three-member medical team performed his PM on Tuesday in the presence of Forest Conservator KR Carpenter. Civil Bahadur’s organs had stopped working due to old age. His liver, pancreas, and kidneys had all been damaged. The heart and stomach were filled with water, and the lungs were infected. In addition, he had pus in his jaw. He had eaten very little in the previous three to four days. Doctors believe he is around 80 years old. Following the death of the Prime Minister, officials paid tribute to him by placing flowers and garlands on his body.

In 1993, the department conducted Operation Jumbo with other trained elephants. Experts used trained elephants to capture 17 elephants during the operation. Mike Pandey directed “The Last Migration,” a documentary about the life and capture of elephants. The film has remained a source of contention all over the world. Because of his strength, Civil Bahadur’s tooth was extracted, and his legs were injured because of being chained for years in GI wire and chains. The forest staff wanted him to weaken gradually. He was also given a reduced dose. As a result, his leg injury did not heal for a long time.