JOIN USTwo panels formed to probe into Avni's killing
Exactly a week after tigress Avni was shot dead in Pandharkawada forests of Yavatmal district, two separate committees have been formed to look into the allegations of violations and procedures.
While a four-member committee has been instituted by the Maharashtra government, another was formed by Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change.
On 2 November, tigress T1, known by her nickname, Avni, which was aged between five and six years, was shot dead near the Borati village in Pandharkawada division of Yavatmal in Vidarbha region.
Since then, her two cubs, who are said to be of around 11 months, are missing.
Avni was dubbed as a maneater and linked to 13 human deaths in the last one-and-a-half years.
Maharashtra's Finance, Planning and Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar was under fire for the death of Avni, however, has maintained that the necessary guidelines of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) were followed.
The three-member committee of Centre's MoEF-NTCA will inquire into the "final operation" that eliminated T1, according to the office memorandum issued by Dr Vaibhav C Mathur, Assistant Inspection General, NTCA.
The committee comprises of OP Kaler, former Additional Chief Conservator of Forests, Jose Louies, Deputy Director & Chief, Wildlife Control Division and Communication, Wildlife Trust of India and Hemant Kamdi, Assistant Inspector General, NTCA regional office, Nagpur.
The panel has been asked to submit its report by 26 November.
The Maharashtra Forest Department committee was ordered by Mungantiwar and it will find out whether guidelines, procedures, given in SOPs were followed or not.
This four-member committee comprises of SH Patil, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Dr Bilal Habib from Wildlife Institute of India, Anish Andheria, President of Wildlife Conservation Trust and Nitin Kakodkar, Assistant Chief Conservator of Forests.