A month after a chinkara was killed in Pune district, allegedly by an associate of former minister of state for transport and tribal welfare Dharmarao Atram in his presence, no offence has been registered against Atram. Moreover, the forest officer who claimed to have seized the animal’s remains from the ex-minister’s farmhouse near Panchgani now says he is “not sure” it was a chinkara’s remains.
The preliminary offence report (POR) lodged by forest officers has registered an offence of poaching against those who were with the minister that night but not him.
The chinkara was allegedly killed near Baramati on June 14. Atram resigned from office on July 7 after the allegations surfaced in the press. But he denied involvement in the crime.
Earlier, forest officers had claimed to have seized the chinkara’s bones, skin, and burnt hair from the farmhouse at Khingar village. But sub-divisional forest officer HG Dhumal, who is investigating the case, denied having seized the skin. “I cannot tell you anything right now as the investigation is underway,” he said.
Forest officers have arrested Mahesh Birmane, a close aide of Atram. A source said Birmane had confessed to having slaughtered the chinkara near village Lonand near Pune.
Atram was a regular visitor to the area, which is close to the Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, which houses chinkara. “Atram, who is known for his passion for hunting, visited the area many times in the past six years,” said an officer of the forest department, who did not want to be identified.
Additional chief secretary, revenue and forests, JP Dange said, “The investigation is on the right track. The course of action will be decided after getting the forensic report on the weapons.”
a_ashwin@dnaindia.net
