The scene of action was the backyard of his 50-year-old home -- Tiger Haven -- where he allegedly baited a tigress, an activity which is banned in the Wildlife Protection Act. To make matters worse, he was allegedly doing this for letting the BBC film crew staying in his house get good shots of the tigress.

``The range officer caught him putting a calf as a bait for the tigress and two cubs. The partly-eaten carcass was burnt by the forest department officials,'' says Rupak De, field director, Dudhwa National Park. The alleged incident took place in February.

However, Singh has a different story to tell. He has clarified hisactions in letters to every possible authority in the Wildlife department saying that he had dragged and tethered a cow which had died of cold for the ailing tigress because she was unable to find enough prey for her two cubs. ``I was just supplementing their food because I wanted to save them. Is it a crime?'' he asks.

He admits that a BBC crew making a film on Dudhwa National Park was staying at his place at that time but he says that the allegations levelled against him are ``nonsense''.

``I have a life-time experience with tigers,'' he asserts ``and there is severe shortage of prey in the Park. I was concerned because this particular tigress is a product of Tara,'' he said. Tara was the famous tigress who was subject of an experiment carried out by Singh on how the animal rehabilitates in the wild.

He also believes that there is no written law to say that feeding animals is banned. However, the authorities point out that it is illegal to feed animals in the wild. This has been clearly stated in a1982 ruling of the Indian Board for Wildlife, an apex body chaired by the Prime Minister for conservation in the country. Also, Singh himself was a member of this body when the directive was issued. Wildlife officers believe that it is unethical to change the feeding habit of the tiger. In one particular case, in 1987, a tigress and her two cubs were found dead because they had eaten cattle poisoned by the farmers near the boundary of the park. The chances are that in some case, the tiger might also turn to man-eating if it gets used to easy food.

``This is not a zoo where one can feed the animal. The animal must work for his prey,'' says R.L. Singh, Chief Conservator (Wildlife) and who also received a representation from Singh.

In spite of this incident, even those conducting the inquiry hold Singh in high esteem and acknowledge his role in tiger conservation. ``I have asked the forest department to pay due respect to him while conducting the inquiry,'' says R.L. Singh. Billy Arjan Singh has been awardedthe Padma Shree and recently, the Lifetime Achievement in Tiger Conservation. He was also the honorary Wildlife Warden of Dudhwa national park till December last year.

The authorities say that he will not be prosecuted but to the inquiry is to ensure that he does not interfere with the natural habits of the tiger.