Leopard killing: ‘Police not helping in arresting accused’

Wildlife department officials have accused the police of not cooperating with them for arrest of the culprits.

About 100 days after scores of villagers incited by 3-4 journalists of a local TV channel chased and killed a young male leopard that had accidentally strayed into a forest plantation near Bhubaneswar,wildlife officials have accused the police of not cooperating with them for the arrest of the culprits.

On the morning of January 13 this year,the one and half year old male leopard had strayed into a forest department plantation,located on a high sandbar on Kuakhia riverbed when it was spotted by people of Gandarpur village under Bhubaneswar panchayat samiti. Though the local people informed the wildlife officials in Nandankanan zoological park for capturing it,the animal was beaten and stoned to death by scores of villagers just about the time when zoo officials were reaching the spot. The traumatised animal,injured 3 locals before it was stoned to death. A post mortem done on the animal showed it suffered grievous injuries in head and haemorrhaged to death. Leopard enjoys highest protection under Schedule-I of WP Act like tigers and elephants.

Bhubaneswar city DFO Jayant Kumar Dash who wrapped up the invstigation into the case just about a week ago,said the forest department could not arrest a single accsued so far due to non-cooperation from police. “As the total number of accused would be about 400,we sought the help of Bhubaneswar police commissionerate. It is not possible on the part of forest and wildlife department alone to conduct the raid and arrest the massive number of accused. In the last one month I have requested the police to send force for joint raid 3 times. But the police are not responding,” said Dash. The DFO added that he has now asked the police to fix a date on their own after which the wildlife and police officials can do a joint raid. “If they do not co-operate within the next fortnight,I would send the case records to the court. The court can then issue non-bailable warrant of arrest against the accused,” he said.

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Though the wildlife department has named only 6 villagers in the investigation report,the numbers would grow dramatically after the arrest of those six people. “We could name only 6 people who were spotted clearly in the pictures taken by TV cameras. Once those six are arrested,we are going to round up hundreds of others who took part in the killing of leopard,” said Dash. “We would also charge the TV journalists who abetted the act. No one will be spared.”

Dash said the wildlife department was determined to punish all perperators as well as the abettors due to the ferocity of the crime. “The way the mob descended on the animal and then clubbed it to death with cricket bats,wickets,sticks can only be described as gruesome. Not satisfied with the killing,the villagers paraded the carcass through the village and even tied it up to a building on display. This was bestiality at its worst,” he told The Indian Express.

Deputy inspector general of National Tiger Conservation Authority,SP Yadav said that he would ask the Orissa government why no action has been taken against the accused. “NTCA was informed by National Board for Wildlife member Biswajit Mohanty and we wrote a letter to the State government in January. Since they have not taken any action,we woul now seek a status report,” said Yadav.

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