Opposition parties today demanded the arrest of Maharashtra Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, who has been under pressure for allegedly ordering the killing of tigress Avni. The Congress, Shiv Sena and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) demanded his dismissal by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis or, they said, protests would be held across the State.
The parties called the probe committee set up by the government on Friday “a sham” to protect the Minister. They demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The Maharashtra government had on Friday formed a high-level committee to probe the controversial killing of the tigress Avni, whose death has sparked a national debate with Union Minister Maneka Gandhi leading the charge against Mr. Mungantiwar. The committee appointed by Maharashtra is headed by the State’s Chief Forest Officer S.H. Patil to probe lapses, if any, into the killing.
Calling for a global march on November 11, the Congress raised “serious” questions over the Mr. Mungantiwar’s over the process of shooting the man-eater. “It is highly possible that Mungantiwar could be in nexus with the international poaching mafias. It is clear that our national animal is not safe under Mungantiwar’s rule,” Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam said on Saturday.
The Shiv Sena said the probe set up by the State government is nothing but a “sham and a farce.” “The committee for inquiry is a sham. It is only an arrogant, thick-skinned way by this government to give a clean chit and call the hunt legal. It includes everyone who reports to the Minister and those who possibly invited the hunter,” alleged Yuva Sena leader Aditya Thackeray.
The Shiv Sena said questions raised by concerned citizens and civil society must be answered by the government and Mr. Mungantiwar. “Who took the call to shoot Avni? Were forest officers and others who planned it present at the time of shooting Avni? If yes, why did they go out in an open vehicle, if they were sure that she was apparently a man-eater?” Mr. Thackeray asked.
Mr. Nirupam further alleged serious manipulation in the tenders for setting up a surveillance system in the State’s Tiger Reserves in the state. “Despite the National Tiger Conservative Authority’s (NTCA) rule of having a surveillance system installed in every Tiger Reserve in the country, Sudhir Mungantiwar has conveniently refrained from doing the needful in Maharashtra time and again. All the other States with Tiger Reserves have installed surveillance systems except Maharashtra,” Mr. Nirupam said.
Actress and Animal lover Rupali Ganguly who was also present with Mr Nirupam said the simple rule of ‘Sun down, gun down’ which implies that no animal can be tranquilised past sunset too was violated in this case. Animal lovers Priyanka Timmins, Anupama Mukherjee and Bharat Sharma who too were present questioned why the government called Tigress Avni a man-eater in the first place. “We are urging people to participate in the march in full force. “If this government could pay ₹5 lakh and hire a sharp shooter to kill the tigress, why aren’t they making optimum utilisation of the State machinery to find the cubs now? State Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar must resign immediately,” Ms. Ganguly said.
