BHUBANESWAR: Three persons have been detained in connection with the death of the tusker that died of gunshot injuries in the Athagarh forest division on June 14. Divisional Forest Officer Sudarshan Gopinath Jadav said three suspects have been detained from the Narasinghpur area in Cuttack in connection with the case. They are being questioned and will be arrested if their involvement in the crime is established.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has instructed the State Forest Department to probe the matter and take stringent action against the poachers. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had also sought immediate action against the poachers. A team of forest officials comprising the Athagarh DFO and ACFs of Athagarh, Angul and Dhenkanal is probing the case.
The 10-year-old tusker with multiple pellet injuries battled for his life for a week and died on June 14. Forest officials had admitted that its treatment started a fortnight after it sustained pellet wounds. Besides, it was provided proper veterinary care after Baramba-Narasinghpur MLA Debi Prasad Mishra flagged the issue on Facebook.
The Forest department has come under flak over its poor field surveillance and ground intelligence following the incident. The DFO said strict action will be taken against those found involved in the elephant’s killing.