Tiger conservation body rejects govt report on killing of Avni as unfactual

MUMBAI: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has rejected the findings of Maharashtra forest department, which gave clean chit to private hunters hired by the state, in the killing of tigress T1 or Avni.

NTCA, which runs under the Union environment ministry, in its internal report, called the Forest Department Corporation of Maharashtra’s (FDCM) findings “neither factual nor complete”. HT accessed the internal report through a Right to Information (RTI) application filed by

Earth Brigade Foundation, which petitioned the Bombay high court (HC) alleging that the killing violated forest and animal rights laws. The new Maharashtra government reopened the case earlier this month.

Avni was shot dead by Asghar Ali Khan, son of independent hunter Nawab Shafath Ali Khan, in Yavatmal on November 2, 2018. On January 30, 2019 FDCM’S investigating officer VS Sarpe’s report said the shooter was authorised to kill the animal and that no laws were violated as T1 was shot in self-defence.

The counter-analysis by NTCA said FDCM report ignored the allegations that unauthorised quantity of drugs was carried by Ali and Mukhbir Sheikh to tranquilise T1. NTCA further said the trajectory of the bullet found in T1’s body disproved the claim that the animal was shot in self-defence. It also pointed out that FDCM was silent on the violation of section 5(2) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act (WPA), 1972.

Nitin Kakodkar, principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife), who was also a member of the state’s independent committee, said, “My comments as chief wildlife warden were different from what the FDCM’S investigating officer had submitted.”