Hunters get clean chit; probe not yet over, says state
MUMBAI:THE Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM) last week gave a clean chit to hunters Shafath Ali Khan and his son Asghar Ali, who are alleged to have violated wildlife rules while shooting tigress T-1. However, the state forest department on Thursday said it is still investigating the killing.
The newly-appointed principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF) wildlife said the hunters are still under the scanner, as no representation has been made by FDCM to the state or forest department.
On January 30, FDCM’S investigating officer and assistant manager VS Sarpe wrote to the Hyderabad police commissioner, claiming that the shooter was authorised, no acts were violated, and the tigress was shot in self-defence.
It added that a ballistic analysis of the weapons had verified that Asghar Ali did not violate the Arms Act.
FDCM’S findings are in contrast to reports by an independent committee of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Maharashtra government, which directed that the hunters be prosecuted as the killing was unauthorised and violated laws.
While Sarpe refused to comment, another FDCM official said, “This is just one part of the investigation. The ballistic report has not been made public but it is up to the state to decide further course of action,” he said.
Virendra Tiwari, additional principal chief conservator of forest (mantralaya) said, “FDCM has issued a letter but it is not endorsed to or by the Maharashtra government in any manner. Nobody has been pardoned yet. We have asked for exact sections that have been violated from the state committee.”
“FDCM’S letter is based on its own terms of reference. The officer may have come to some conclusion but it has not been conveyed to us. There is no conclusion in this case yet,” said Nitin Kakodkar, member secretary of state committee and PCCF (Wildlife), Maharashtra.