Five indicted in Keri tiger case
HERALD CORRESPONDENT
VALPOI, APRIL 17
Five persons from Keri-Sattari have been indicted by the forest department in the tiger killing case reported recently at Keri, while prominent environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar has been named as a witness in the case.
Forest officials in Sattari taluka were, however, tightlipped and refused to divulge details into the chargesheet which has been filed before the Valpoi JMFC.
When contacted, Sattari Deputy RFO Paingunkar claimed that the case did not fall within his jurisdiction and directed this correspondent to contact Sanquelim RFO Betkekar.
Betkekar declined to reveal the names of the accused. “I am not the authority to speak to the press and only the PRO can give such information.“
Valpoi police said they were unaware of any information in the matter.
Finally, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Dr Shashi Kumar confirmed that the chargesheet had been filed against five accused before the JMFC Court at Valpoi and that Rajendra Kerkar had been named as a witness.
However, Dr Kumar was also unable to name the accused in the case. “At present, I don’t have the copy of the chargesheet here at home as it is in the office. I can only give you the names of the accused and other details on Monday,” said Dr Kumar.
Dr Kumar also added that Saturday being a holiday, he could not get a copy and added that he was busy the entire Saturday surveying the Netravali mining issue.
Meanwhile, Rajendra Kerkar told Herald that he was yet to receive a copy of the chargesheet. “I came to know of this matter only through an SMS. I then came to know from a source that I was not named as an abettor but as a witness in the case,” Kerkar told Herald.
