A heart-breaking photograph titled ‘Hell is Here’ showing an elephant and her calf on fire fleeing a mob in West Bengal– has bagged this year’s Photography Award by Sanctuary Asia.
The picture clicked by a brick kiln owner Biplab Hazra in Bankura district shows what is “routine” in the area and other states like Assam, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu, the Mumbai-based Sanctuary Nature Foundation said in a social media post.
Mother elephant is seen crossing the road while braving flaming tar balls followed by the baby elephant. Both shocked and panicked. A mob is seen in the background of the picture.
The awards are instituted by the Sanctuary Nature Foundation, a Mumbai based non-governmental organisation (NGO) that works towards biodiversity conservation and community engagement.
Here are some other pictures from the contest:
