Citizens protest against killing of Avni

Mumbai: Hundreds of citizens and activists held protests in Mumbai against the killing of T1 tigress on Sunday. Through the protest, citizens have urged the state government to sack state forest minister and officials of forest department who conducted shooting operation of Avni, the tigress.

Activists have also said that the committee formed by the state for the probe is inefficient alleging that the members of the committee have been accomplice in the operation.

Several citizens gathered at Shivaji Park with banners against the shooting of the tigress. “We have been demanding the government to sack Mr Mungantiwar and the officials that have been behind the shoot on site order against Avni. Moreover, the committee formed by the government for probing the matter is a total farce as there is no vet and expert on tigers and their behaviour,” said Anand Shiva, wildlife activist.

The Maharashtra government has formed a four-member committee to probe the matter around tranquillisation of Avni constituting principal chief conservator of forest S.H. Patil, Wildlife Institute of India member Habib Bilal, wildlife conservation trust chairman Anish Andheriya and additional principal chief conservator of forest Nitin Kakodkar.

Not just in Mumbai, the protest against the shooting of tigress and action on the forest department also took place in Pune, Bangalore and Chennai on the same day.

“It’s been eight days since Avni was killed. Post mortem shows she hadn’t eaten for five days. That means her cubs have not eaten since 13 days. We have come together to demand the immediate rescue of the cubs,” said Preeti Sharma Menon, an activist from Aam Aadmi Party.