Bhubaneswar: The State Government has set up a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the discovery of elephant skeletons from Athagarh Forest Division, in Cuttack district. The SIT will be headed by Regional Chief Conservator of Forest (RCCF), Angul Circle who will act as the Chairman. The SIT will function under overall supervision of CCF (Wildlife).
The team will have two members – Conservator of Forest (ET), from the office of the PCCF (Wildlife) & Chief Wildlife Warden and an officer of the STF, Crime Branch. The STF official should be below the rank of Deputy SP, an order issued by the Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department stated. Besides, The SIT can co-opt any expert/scientific member in the committee and has to submit the report within one month.
“The team will carry out a thorough and comprehensive investigation into the instant two cases keeping in view various angles such as alleged connivance of staff, criminal negligence and willful concealment of facts. The SIT will ascertain whether there are more such occurrences in the Division. They will go into details of forward and backward linkages and examine the possibilities of involvement of inter-state organized wildlife crime syndicates in these cases,” the order further read.
The Special Task Force of Crime Branch exhumed the skull and skeleton of two elephants at separate sites in Athagarh. While the first skeleton was discovered at Bhaluabereni village adjacent to Talachndragin forest range, the other over private land in Mahatbandha village near Chandragiri forest range. The second site comes under Janipadar Beat in Gopalpur Section of Badamba Range of Athagarh Forest Division.
“The recovery of skull and skeleton of two elephants inside a single Beat area of one Section in Badamba Range indicates that there is serious lapse by the departmental staff and has given rise to allegations of their connivance and willful concealment of facts,” the Department’s order further read.
