Missing elephant tusks: Forest department suspends deputy RFO, guard

Bengaluru: Days after media reported a case of missing tusks from an elephant skeleton found in Bhadra Tiger Reserve (BTR) Forest, the Forest Department has suspended a deputy range forest officer (RFO) and a forest guard in the Lakkavalli range for their alleged involvement in the case.

On September 14, senior forest officials rushed to the shoreline of the Bhadra backwaters in Aldara beat, Lakkavalli Range of the tiger reserve. The two holes in the skull led to suspicion that the animal was poached for its tusks. Environment activists and conservationists sought an investigation into the matter.

During an inquiry, two watchers gave a written statement that they had reported an elephant carcass “with tusks intact” to the forest beat guard Devaraj P as far back as June, four months before the matter came to the notice of the department.

Devaraj directed the watchers not to speak about the matter while stating that he would inform the superiors. One watcher also stated that Devaraj told him that the carcass was inspected by DyRFO Kumar B.

On December 30, BTR field director Yashpal Kshirsagar suspended Devaraj for dereliction of duty and wrote to the chief conservator of forests (CCF), Chikkamagaluru Circle regarding the inquiry’s findings on the DyRFO. In an order dated the same day, December 30, CCF Upendra Pratap Singh suspended Kumar pending enquiry.

Environmentalist Dinesh Kallahalli, who had earlier written to the department demanding a detailed inquiry, said while the action was welcome, it was not enough. In a letter to Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, he demanded action against the higher-ups.

He reiterated the “glaring errors” of the department in declaring the elephant as a female to “hide the matter of missing tusks” and taking for spot mahajar the member of an NGO accused of wildlife crime. “There are several indications of cover-up. I have sought an investigation by the criminal investigation department into the case,” he told DH.