<p>Thiruvananthapuram: A village panchayat president has been booked for allegedly beating a porcupine to death after it entered a house in Vellanad here on Saturday, <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/kerala-s-wildlife-amendment-bill-conservation-or-political-optics-3743362">forest </a>officials said.</p>.<p>In the television visuals, it could be seen that Vellanad Sasi, a leader of the ruling CPI(M) and president of the Vellanad Panchayat here, was repeatedly beating the animal with a wooden plank.</p>.<p>According to forest officials, the porcupine is a protected species under Schedule 1, and hence, non-bailable sections of the Wildlife Protection Act were invoked against the panchayat president.</p>.<p>A team of officials reached the panchayat office to take Sasi into custody, but he was not there, a forest official said.</p>.4 persons poach and burn Indian black turtles on grandmother's death in Karnataka; booked under Wildlife Protection Act.<p>"The mullanpanni (porcupine) was sitting at the corner of a house. Based on the information received, we went there to rescue the animal. Just two minutes before we reached there, he beat the animal to death," the official said.</p>.<p>The offence he allegedly committed may invite multiple years of imprisonment and a fine, forest department sources said. The post-mortem on the carcass was carried out, and further investigation is underway, they added. </p>
<p>Thiruvananthapuram: A village panchayat president has been booked for allegedly beating a porcupine to death after it entered a house in Vellanad here on Saturday, <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/kerala-s-wildlife-amendment-bill-conservation-or-political-optics-3743362">forest </a>officials said.</p>.<p>In the television visuals, it could be seen that Vellanad Sasi, a leader of the ruling CPI(M) and president of the Vellanad Panchayat here, was repeatedly beating the animal with a wooden plank.</p>.<p>According to forest officials, the porcupine is a protected species under Schedule 1, and hence, non-bailable sections of the Wildlife Protection Act were invoked against the panchayat president.</p>.<p>A team of officials reached the panchayat office to take Sasi into custody, but he was not there, a forest official said.</p>.4 persons poach and burn Indian black turtles on grandmother's death in Karnataka; booked under Wildlife Protection Act.<p>"The mullanpanni (porcupine) was sitting at the corner of a house. Based on the information received, we went there to rescue the animal. Just two minutes before we reached there, he beat the animal to death," the official said.</p>.<p>The offence he allegedly committed may invite multiple years of imprisonment and a fine, forest department sources said. The post-mortem on the carcass was carried out, and further investigation is underway, they added. </p>