An animal rights organisation has complained to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests regarding departmental inaction in cases of blatant violation of wildlife laws in Dehradun.
In a letter submitted to the State, PCCF RBS Rawat, People For Animals, Uttarakhand member secretary and co-opted member of Animal Welfare Board of India, Gauri Maulekhi, have demanded action against officials who delay and provide time for the accused to escape action.
She pointed out that carcasses of 27 snakes including a freshly killed King Cobra were recovered from the Toxicology Lab of the Himalaya Institute of Medical Sciences on October 4 following which a case was registered and the lab was sealed.
After more than 40 days of the recovery, not a single arrest has been made by the Dehradun divisional forest officer in a case that calls for a non-bailable and cognizable action against the suspects under Section 9 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
The HIMS dean, Vijendra Chauhan, Vice-Chancellor Vijay Dhasmana and the head of department for Toxicology and Forensics Sanjay Das have not been arrested even after they were charged with ‘hunting’ of extremely endangered animals, the highest offense that can be committed under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
Earlier, a signed testimony of the dean was submitted to the DFO stating that HIMS releases animals of exotic species with laboratory induced diseases into the forest near Chilla range but no action has been taken in this case as well.
On October 18, a captive soft shell turtle (Schedule 1, Wildlife Protection Act 1972) was recovered from a house on Mussoorie Road. The turtle along with other recovered animals was taken by the police to the Rajpur Thana, where it was handed over to the Forest Department.
In this case too the DFO made no arrests. Such inaction not only encourages the offenders but also shows the officer’s inefficiency, averred Maulekhi.
In a letter submitted to the State, PCCF RBS Rawat, People For Animals, Uttarakhand member secretary and co-opted member of Animal Welfare Board of India, Gauri Maulekhi, have demanded action against officials who delay and provide time for the accused to escape action.
She pointed out that carcasses of 27 snakes including a freshly killed King Cobra were recovered from the Toxicology Lab of the Himalaya Institute of Medical Sciences on October 4 following which a case was registered and the lab was sealed.
After more than 40 days of the recovery, not a single arrest has been made by the Dehradun divisional forest officer in a case that calls for a non-bailable and cognizable action against the suspects under Section 9 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
The HIMS dean, Vijendra Chauhan, Vice-Chancellor Vijay Dhasmana and the head of department for Toxicology and Forensics Sanjay Das have not been arrested even after they were charged with ‘hunting’ of extremely endangered animals, the highest offense that can be committed under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
Earlier, a signed testimony of the dean was submitted to the DFO stating that HIMS releases animals of exotic species with laboratory induced diseases into the forest near Chilla range but no action has been taken in this case as well.
On October 18, a captive soft shell turtle (Schedule 1, Wildlife Protection Act 1972) was recovered from a house on Mussoorie Road. The turtle along with other recovered animals was taken by the police to the Rajpur Thana, where it was handed over to the Forest Department.
In this case too the DFO made no arrests. Such inaction not only encourages the offenders but also shows the officer’s inefficiency, averred Maulekhi.
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