Avni killing: Rules, guidelines not followed, says tiger panel report

MUMBAI : Several rules were broken and set guidelines were violated in the killing of tigress T-1, or Avni, an alleged maneater, in the Pandharkwada forest in Yavatmal last month, an investigation committee formed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has found.

On November 2, Avni was shot dead by a team of forest staff members, and Asghar Ali, the son of independent sharpshooter Nawab Shafat Ali Khan, who was hired by the forest department. The department wanted to either tranquilise the animal or kill it, as Avni was said to have killed 13 people since June 2016. A week after Avni’s death, the central government, through NTCA, formed a three-member panel of retired forest officer OP Kaler, deputy director of the Wildlife Trust of India, Jose Louies, and assistant inspector general for forest, NTCA, Hemant Kamdi.

The panel’s report has not been made public, but was submitted to the NTCA, which has asked the state to respond in 15 days. “The state authorities of Maharashtra have been informed on December 3 (Monday) to take requisite necessary action in respect of violations of standard operating procedure of NTCA guidelines, Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and Arms Act, 1959,” a statement issued by the NTCA additional director general Anup Nayak said. Nayak told HT he cannot reveal the details of the report until the forest department responds. “A showcause notice has been issued to the Maharashtra forest department on Monday,” he said.

CONTINUED ON P 12