ANGUL: Even as the six-member tranquilliser team is yet to taste success in efforts to capture tigress Sundari, police continued its action against the perpetrators of violence on National Highway 55 by arresting 19 persons on Wednesday. The arrested include BJD leader Biswajit Mishra. All the 19 have been forwarded to court, said police.
Angul SDPO Harihar Pani said police are also searching for district BJP president Bhagirathi Pradhan against whom a case has been filed for instigating violence in the area after the killing of a villager Trinath Sahu by the tigress. The villagers had blocked the NH and attacked police on Sunday evening. This led to law and order crisis in the area and police had to resort to lathicharge to disperse the mob.
Three cases were registered by police and forest officials at Jarapara and Purunakote police stations against 53 persons and 500 unnamed persons, including district BJP president.Meanwhile, the tranquilliser team has intensified efforts to capture the tigress which is still moving in forest near Kumuri and Nuagana villages. The team had failed twice in its attempt to tranquillise the big cat.
On Tuesday night, the team had kept goats in cages to attract the animal but it did not turn up. On Wednesday afternoon the team fired a tranquilliser shot at the tigress but missed the target as it was moving in a dense forest area, said sources.
“After failing to tranquillise the tigress last night the team tried again on Wednesday but missed narrowly which went into forest near Kumuri and Nuagana. Efforts are on to capture it as soon as possible. After capture it will be brought to Raigoda enclosure and the technical team will decide its next course of action,” said Additional Chief Conservator of Forest, Sudarshan Panda.According to reports from Satkosia villages, tension and fear continues in the area as Sundari could not be captured.