BELAGAVI: Two day after Forest Minister Ishwar Khandre sought a report from the forest department about the death of two elephants that were electrocuted near Sullagali forest in Khanapur taluk on Sunday, the department has registered a case under the Wildlife Protection Act against two farmers allegedly responsible for the electrocution of elephants.
The case has been filed at the Nagargali Zone Forest Office. Additionally, a notice has been issued to the HESCOM department following reports of fallen electric wires in the agricultural land there.
Forest officials, however, claimed they are unable to register a case directly against HESCOM officials, citing the absence of legal provisions in departmental law for prosecuting government employees.
Officials arrested Ganpati Sateri Gurav, the landowner where the elephants died after coming into contact with an illegally electrified solar fence. He has been remanded in judicial custody. Another farmer, Shivaji Ganpati Gurav, is currently absconding, and efforts are underway to locate him.
A vigilance team from HESCOM, Belagavi, visited Sullagali on Monday to inspect the site.
Responding to farmers’ claims that fallen electric wires caused the deaths, the team examined all power lines in the area and reviewed related documents.
Their preliminary findings indicate no evidence of accidental wire breakage. Instead, the team suspects that the wires may have been deliberately pulled down and scattered after the incident to shift blame onto HESCOM.
Investigations revealed that an iBox solar fence had been installed on Ganpati Gurav’s farmland. Due to insufficient sunlight in recent days, the solar fence was reportedly underperforming.
To boost its power supply, Gurav had allegedly connected the solar fence directly to HESCOM’s electrical line - an illegal act.
A joint inquiry by HESCOM and forest officials confirmed that the elephants were electrocuted after coming into contact with this live fence.
Cremation of the Elephants
Following forest department protocol, veterinarians Dr Ayaz, Dr Nagaraj Huilagol, and Dr Madhusudan conducted post-mortem examinations of both elephants at Nagargali forest on Monday.
The carcasses were then cremated and buried at the site using a JCB machine, in the presence of senior officials including CCF Manjunath Chavan, DCF NE Kranti, ACFs Shivanand Magadum, Nagaraj Balehosura, Sunita Nimbargi, wildlife wardens, environmentalists, and local representatives from the forest, revenue, and police departments.
Congress Leader Alleges Cover-Up
Ishwar Ghadi, Block Congress President of Khanapur, accused the Forest Department of filing false cases against innocent farmers to conceal its own negligence.
He asserted that the deaths resulted from the combined irresponsibility of the Forest Department and HESCOM. “If a complaint is not filed against HESCOM officials and concerned forest officers immediately, the Congress Party will launch a fierce agitation,” Ghadi warned.
