Odisha authorities constitutes SIT to probe Athagarh elephant deaths

By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: Faced with extreme criticism over a sequence of elephant deaths beneath mysterious circumstances within the Athagarh forest division, the Odisha authorities on Thursday constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incidents and supression of info.

The three-member SIT headed by Regional Chief Conservator of Forests (Angul circle) will perform a radical and complete investigation into the deaths.

The staff comprising Conservator of Forest (ET) and an officer of Special Task Force (STF) of Crime Branch not under the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police can even probe varied angles akin to alleged connivance of employees, legal negligence and wilful concealment of info. 

“The SIT will ascertain whether there are more such occurences in the division. They will go into details of forward and backward linkages and examine the involvement of inter-state organised wildlife crime syndicates in these cases,” the phrases of reference set for the panel said.

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The staff, which is able to perform beneath general supervision of Chief Conservator of Forests (wildlife), can co-opt any specialists or scientific member within the committee. It has been requested to submit the detailed report after the investigation inside one month.

The structure of SIT by the Forest, Environment and Climate Change division got here after skeletal stays of three elephants have been recovered from the Athagarh forest division.

The carcass of a male tusker, suspected to have been killed and buried, was exhumed on Wednesday by forest officers close to Kharada village inside Baramba vary the place the STF of the Crime Branch had dug out stays of a male and a feminine elephant earlier this month.

The STF staff had excavated cranium and skeleton of two elephants at two totally different websites – one over income land of Bhaluabereni village adjoining to Talachandragiri reserve forest and the opposite over a personal land of Mahatbandha village close to Chandragiri reserve forest on June 2 and three respectively.

“The recovery of skull and skeleton of two elephants inside a single Beat area of one section in Badamba range indicates that there is a serious lapse by the departmental staff and it has given rise to allegations of their connivance and wilful concealment of facts,” an workplace order of the Forest division learn.

On Wednesday, taking cognisance of the deaths of elephants, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) had requested the State authorities to take stringent motion within the matter as per the provisions of Wildlife  Protection Act 1972 and submit an motion taken report on the earliest.

Meanwhile, the Wildlife Wing has already booked and arrested three watchers and a forest guard beneath the Wildlife Protection Act. Two foresters are absconding. Three vary officers have been positioned beneath suspension over negligence in responsibility.