Tiger killing: Home Guard, father in accused list

PANJIM, APRIL 21
A State Home Guard and his father are figuring in the list of person accused to be involved in tiger killing at Keri.
Suryakant Majik, a home guard and his father Ganesh Majik, were booked by the department in a year old investigation in the tiger killing case.
Apart from these two, Nagesh Majik, Ankush Majik and Bhiva Gawas have also been chargesheeted in this case.
The case under Arms Act for using unlicenced weapon for killing the animal, is also registered against the accused by forest department who had managed to seize only one out of two guns involved in the crime.
Talking to reporters, deputy conservator of forest North G T Kumar said that the chargesheet has named 15 witnesses including environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar in this case.
“All these witnesses will be tried later this month in the local court,” he added.
The chargesheet filed before Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Valpoi on April 15 has absolved Kerkar from the charges, who was earlier booked as abettor.
Kumar told that inorder to confirm that the animal remains found at the sit where that of tiger, the forensic report by Dehradun based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has been attached along with the chargesheet.
“Of the seven samples that were sent for the forensic test, the sample of hair matched during the test,” he confirmed.  
Kumar said that there as were no evidences with us, the entire investigation began just by depending on the photograph of the tiger carcass, which was published in the newspaper on April 13, last year.
Though the forest department officials found out that a local youth had clicked the picture of the killed tiger on his mobile, the department failed to get through the original mobile phone.