BENGALURU: Forest officials have decided to file criminal cases against people violating rules under the Wildlife Protection Act and not just limit themselves to imposing fines in view of a tusker attacking a man, who was taking a selfie, in Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR) on Sunday.
A video of the incident, which went viral, led to debates on various platforms of social media. While some wildlife enthusiasts alleged that “incompetence” and “crowd mismanagement” by forest officials led to the incident, others stated that lack of awareness among tourists was the reason for it.
Around 5.30 pm on Sunday, a vehicle stopped on NH 212 (also known as NH 766), the road through BTR connecting Tamil Nadu and Mysuru, and the man came out of it to take a selfie with the tusker.
The tusker, which was on the other side of the road, got agitated by shrill horns and the presence of people there and attacked the man. “We have obtained the video.We have learnt that the man is safe and did not sustain injuries,” Deputy Conservator of Forests of BTR S Prabhakaran said.
Ravishankar SS, Conservator of Forests, Mysuru Circle, said forest staff reached the spot within five minutes. By then, the man had escaped. Getting off vehicles in reserved forests is a violation of forest rules, and a fine alone is not sufficient, he said.
“We have sought the government’s permission to file criminal cases under various Sections of the Wildlife Protection Act against the violators. Despite several speed trackers on the highway and the presence of forest personnel at the entry and exit gates, people violate rules. Cameras installed along the highway have been damaged by animals. New cameras will be installed soon,” an official said.
Meanwhile, Forest Minister Eshwar B Khandre said directives have been issued to the forest department to deploy vehicles for patrolling on roads passing through forests and take strict action against those violating the rules.
Man arrested
The injured man, Basavaraj, 50, was arrested from his home in Nanjangud at 4 pm on Monday. He was penalised and also made to record his statement before the forest officials admitting that he got off the vehicle to take a selfie. In the video that has now gone viral, Basavaraj appealed to people not to step out of their vehicles inside forests and requested them to follow all rules. Basavaraj said that he had visited Bandipur to go to a temple and, while returning, decided to take a selfie with the tusker in the backdrop. Fearing being caught, he had switched off his mobile phone.