BENGALURU: Special teams of the forest department raided the houses of actors and politicians possessing wildlife items and recorded their statements on Wednesday. The raids were conducted in Bengaluru, Tumakuru and Koppa. The teams raided the houses of actors Darshan, Rockline Venkatesh and Jaggesh, Rajya Sabha member.
The sleuths of the department also questioned Nikhil, actor and son of former CM HD Kumaraswamy. They also raided the ashram of Vinay Guruji at Gowrigadde near Koppa and a mutt in Tumakuru.
Based on a tip off, the sleuths arrested Kannada Bigg Boss contestant V Santosh Kumar from a studio in the city for wearing a pendant made of tiger claws on October 22.
On Wednesday, Brijesh Kumar Dikshit, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), issued an order for formation of special teams headed by the Additional PCCF (Wildlife) to conduct raids and collect details on those possessing wildlife items. The teams will verify documents and certificates related to wildlife items possessed by the people.
My pendant is fake, says Nikhil
“We are probing people who have wildlife items in their possession. Possession of wildlife items is a crime and action will be taken accordingly,” a senior forest official told The New Indian Express.
The raids continued till late Wednesday evening and their outcome will be known on Thursday. Forest minister Eshwar Khandre said, “I do not want to name anyone. But no one is above the law. Possession and display of wildlife items is a crime and action will be taken accordingly.”
Khandre said no one has been given permission to possess, wear or display wildlife items. Meanwhile, Nikhil Kumaraswamy issued a statement that the pendant made of tiger claws in his possession is fake.
Darshan refused to comment. He was the brand ambassador of the forest department and of the Zoo Authority of Karnataka. Jaggesh and Venkatesh took to social media to say that they were not in town. The jewellers’ associations of Karnataka and Bengaluru have extended their support to the forest department for its action.
SK Suresh, president of the Karnataka Jewellers’ Association, said earlier people used to wear jewellery made of wildlife items. But after some rules came into force, jewellers stopped making jewellery using wildlife items. An alert has been sounded to jewellers across the state in this regard, he added.
Khandre defends arrest of Bigg Boss contestant
KALABURAGI : Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre has defended the arrest of Varthur Santosh, a contestant in the Kannada reality show ‘Bigg Boss’, for wearing a tiger claw pendant. Speaking with media persons here on Wednesday, Khandre said the forest officer concerned had informed him about Santosh’s arrest and he instructed the latter to act as per law. “Killing wild animals, transporting their body parts or using them is an offence as per law. As Santosh was wearing a tiger claw pendant, he was arrested,” he added.
Asked why the forest department did not make any arrests so far though many people, including several in the film industry, were allegedly wearing tiger claw pendants, Khandre said he cannot answer as to why people who committed offences were not arrested previously. It is wrong to say that no action will be taken now. “Now, we have noticed the offence and we have made an arrest. If the offence is proved, he has to undergo imprisonment up to seven years,” he said.
The minister said as trenches to prevent elephants from venturing into villages are not giving the expected result, the government has sanctioned erecting railway barricades at an estimated cost of Rs 150 crore.
Khandre said his department has planted 5.05 crore saplings across the state in June, July and August. Though there is a deficit of rain in most parts of the state, the forest department is taking steps for proper management of saplings by releasing grants, he said.
“The proposal for establishing a forest college in Kalyana Karnataka Region is under consideration. As on date, around 5,000 posts are vacant in the forest department and action will be taken to fill them up,” he said.