Forest minister seeks CBI probe into tiger’s ‘poaching’

State forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar has shot a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged poaching of a tiger in the Umred Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary.

The tiger identified as Jai is suspected to be dead, as it has been missing for a long time. However, its body has not been found. Jai was last seen on April 18.

Meanwhile, a committee comprising four officials from the forest department will talk to BJP MP from Bhandara-Gondia Nana Patole who claimed the tiger had been poached. Mr Patole has accused the forest department of not being “serious” enough to find out the fate of the tiger.

Jai, a major draw for tourists, has disappeared from his home sanctuary – Umred, about 30 km away from Nagpur in Vidarbha. The forest department has taken two suspected poachers into custody, but the department is still clueless about the fate of the tiger.

A senior official from the forest ministry said it suspected the tiger might have been electrocuted. Jai was radio-collared and of late it had stopped working, confirming the worst fears of officials.

Mr Patole had said he would take the matter to Mr Modi, who is the chairman of National Board of Wildlife (NBW) and ask for a probe.

Mr Mungantiwar who has backed Mr Patole’s claims has already written to the PM, and said he would meet him and insist on a CBI probe. “Jai was the hero of Umred forest and we are shocked by his disappearance. Mr Patole’s concern is understandable and hence, I will urge Prime Minister to probe this matter through CBI,” said Mr Mungantiwar.

Mr Mungantiwar was in Delhi on Tuesday for a party meeting and was expected to meet with the PM. Meanwhile, suspected poachers, Madhukar Hatwar and Kisan Samarth, who were arrested on August 16, were released later owing to lack of strong evidence against them. “The accused were not booked under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 as there were no evidence against them,” said an official who did not wish to be named.

The population of tigers, which was 169 in 2010, rose to 190 in 2015. Over 70 are in the Tadoba tiger reserve. The major tiger sanctuaries in Maharashtra are the Tadoba, Pench, Melghat, Navegaon, Nagzira and the Sahyadri tiger reserves.

Earlier, the state government amid much fanfare roped in Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan as the brand ambassador for its tiger conservation initiative.