Latest news with #WildlifeProtectionAct
Time of India
an hour ago
- Politics
- Time of India
No puja of live cobra this Nagpanchami as well in Battis Shirala, MLA appeals to residents to abide by court order
Kolhapur: The residents of Sangli's Battis Shirala were hopeful of getting permission from the authorities to perform puja of live cobra, a tradition they claimed to be seven centuries old. However, local MLA, Satyajit Deshmukh has appealed to them to follow the Supreme Court's guideline banning live snake worship. During the campaign for the assembly elections, Amit Shah had reportedly assured the residents that the traditional Nagpanchami of Shirala would be restored. Deshmukh later met him in Delhi, raised the issue in the assembly, and secured a meeting with the Union forest minister. Desmukh said since the process involves an amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act, it would take some time to restore the traditional Nagpanchami celebrations involving live snake workship. Therefore, he requested the residents to follow the SC guidelines for the upcoming festival on July 29. "We have succeeded in raising the issue at appropriate platforms. We are hopeful that someday a way out will be found, and the Shirala residents will again perform puja of live snakes. The Supreme Court order had banned the practice in 2014. I have appealed to the residents to abide by the SC order for the upcoming Nagpanchami celebrations." The residents said performing the puja of a live cobra snake is part of their culture and should be allowed like the way Jallikattu and bullock cart races, which were earlier banned, and are now allowed. The old texts mention the puja of a live snake. Even the Britishers were fascinated by the tradition and mentioned about this in the Gazette during their reign, they said. A senior official from Sangli said police and forest staffers would stage a march in the town informing resients that violators of the SC order would be punished. The forest department uses drone cameras to keep watch on snake catchers. It has been found that the believers catch snakes and hide them in matkas or gunny bags and take them out on Nagpanchami. The women, who believe the snake to be their brother, gather in the houses where the snake is kept and perform puja. The tradition was banned by the courts after wildlife activists brought to their notice that cobra snakes, which are protected species, are harmed during the procession and while holding competitions over whose cobra snake lifts its head high, looks healthy, and beautiful. The organisers have denied any such harm to the animal.
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
Bus used for poaching protected birds, owner fined Rs1L
1 2 Varanasi: In a case of poaching of protected birds and wildlife, forest department imposed fine of Rs 1 lakh on a bus owner and amount was deposited in state treasury on Monday. The action is directed at warning vehicle owners and individuals involved in this illegal trade, often unknowingly. Earlier, on Apr 28, regional forest officer had conducted a vehicle inspection near Andharapul and intercepted a double-decker private bus traveling from Palamu (Jharkhand) to Varanasi. As many as 28 newly hatched Indian parakeets, a protected species, were found in the luggage compartment. They birds were taken into departmental custody and put under medical care. The bus driver and conductor were detained for questioning and based on their information, those responsible for transporting the parakeets were identified and arrested. Those arrested include bus driver Dhananjay Singh from Chhatarpur in Palamu district, bus conductor, Abhay Singh alias Kanhaiya from Sadalpura in Chandauli district and helper Mohammad Arif from Hasanpura of Varanasi district. All three were taken into judicial custody for further investigation. The bus was seized under Section 51(b) of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and a notice was sent to the heavy vehicle's owner, Ravindra Kumar Singh.
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
MM Hills tiger deaths raised in Lok Sabha
Mysuru: The killing of a tigress and her four cubs inside the MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary has now echoed even inside the Lok Sabha. The DMK and TMC MPs raised the issue in the ongoing Lok Sabha session. It can be recalled that on June 26, the tigress and her four cubs were found dead inside the sanctuary, which led to widespread anger against the forest department over its failure to save the big cats. DMK member A Raja and Sougata Ray of TMC raised the issue through an unstarred question. In his reply, Union minister Kirti Vardhan Singh informed that a SIT advised various interventions to bring down the wild animal-human conflict in the region. It can be recalled that the forest department arrested three locals with the help of district police. The accused allegedly killed the tigress and her cubs using carbofuran poison as revenge for killing their cow. In his reply, the minister confirmed that the SIT, based on evidence collected during the investigation, concluded that the tigers were killed in retaliation by lacing a cattle carcass with the pesticide Carbofuran, by a group of three who were arrested within 48 hours. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Use an AI Writing Tool That Actually Understands Your Voice Grammarly Install Now Undo According to the Lok Sabha documents, the SIT submitted its report to the govt and suggested notifying the Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary as a tiger reserve for additional protection and financial assistance, which has already been approved by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under relevant provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act (WLPA), 1972. Inter-alia, the SIT recommended welfare measures for frontline staff, filling up staff vacancies, conflict management strategies with local communities, educational outreach, improving habitat and prey-base, besides developing monitoring protocols. According to the activists, there is nothing new in the SIT recommendations. "All the local issues and problems faced by the frontline staff were known to the forest department even before the incident," said activist Joseph Hover, former member of the wildlife board. "It is sad that MPs from other states raised questions about the killing of the tigress and her cubs. The state MPs are silent spectators to all the attacks on our forest," he said.
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
13,048-Page Chargesheet Filed in Massive RTE Fraud; Poaching, POCSO Links Unearthed
Nagpur: A voluminous 13,048-page chargesheet on the Right to Education (RTE) admission scam that unravelled a web of criminal activities was filed in Nagpur district court on Monday. The case, which began with fake documents used to secure RTE admissions in Nagpur during the 2023–24 academic year, exposed links to poaching, illegal arms possession, and sexual offences. The chargesheet by Sadar police names 11 accused, including key conspirators Prashant Hedau and Rajesh Buwade, both of whom submitted forged residential documents to secure RTE quota seats for their children at two city schools. The investigation, carried out under supervision of then-Zone 2 DCP Rahul Madane, then-Sadar ACP Madhuri Baviskar, and PI Manish Thakare, followed a written complaint by group education officer, Kakdu Rameshwarrao Durge. This complaint was filed after the taluka verification committee found gross discrepancies in residential documents. According to police inspector Thakare, the complainant earlier tried to seek redressal at the tehsil level, but was unsuccessful. It was only after approaching the zilla parishad that a special investigation team (SIT) was constituted by then-ZP CEO Saumya Sharma to probe the matter. Of 11 accused, six, including Hedau, Buwade, Raja Jamshed Sharif, Ruksaar alias Rupali Dhagaye, Rohit Pillay, and Shubham Bhute, have been arrested. The prime accused, Shahid Sharif, continues to be on the run for over a year, for whom a lookout notice has also been issued. Shubham Bhute, an important member of the network, allegedly forged fake documents for over 17-18 students. The fraud involved well-off families falsely claiming to be from below poverty line (BPL) backgrounds to secure RTE seats meant for underprivileged children. What started as an education scam soon expanded into a broader criminal conspiracy. As per the inspector, when they checked Sharif's phone, they found it wiped clean. "He erased all data from his phone, but we were able to recover it," he said. The cop added they discovered deleted files containing sexually explicit images of minors, resulting in POCSO charges being slapped on mastermind's brother, Raja Sharif and Pillay. In a follow-up raid, more incriminating data were recovered that revealed Raja and Shahid Sharif's involvement in tiger and deer hunting in Madhya Pradesh. Acting on this, Nagpur police collaborated with Jabalpur Forest Department. A 70-page panchnama was prepared after a raid on Raja Sharif's vehicle revealed empty gun shells, wild animal hair, and fish remains. The forest department arrested Raja Sharif and Rohit Pillay from Nagpur Central Jail under Wildlife Protection Act. Two of their associates, Aamir Aziz alias Attu Bhai and Jafar Khan, were also nabbed in Madhya Pradesh. Separate cases under Arms Act, Wildlife Protection Act, and POCSO have been registered against the network, in addition to IPC sections 420, 465, 468, 471, 472, 201, and 34 for fraud and conspiracy. As per police, the chargesheet backed by digital, documentary, and witness evidence is aimed at ensuring strong legal action against those abusing educational provisions and engaging in wider criminal networks.
Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Rare Pangolin spotted in Maharashtra's Raigad village, rescued by locals and forest officials
NAVI MUMBAI: A pangolin which made a rare appearance at Khandad village, Mangaon taluka of Raigad district, was rescued and later handed over to the state forest officials. Wildlife researcher, Shantanu Kuveskar, said: "A local youth, Raju Pawar, had first noticed this strange looking wild animal on Friday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now I soon reached the spot an spread awareness among the villagers about the preservation of pangolins. " There is no natural habitat available for the Pangolin to live permanently in Khandad village and the surrounding area of the village. Therefore, Kuveskar has speculated that this Pangolin may have come here from somewhere in the dense forests of the west in the flood flow of the river Kal during the current flood situation. The Khandad villagers said that this is the first time in their lives that they have seen such a wild animal. The Indian pangolin is the most trafficked animal in the world and is very sensitive. It has the highest status of protection in the Wildlife Protection Act.
