Daily Bhaskar: Bhopal: Saturday, June 09, 2012.
The Madhya Pradesh Government has declined to order a CBI probe and instead formed a committee to investigate poaching of tigers in Panna tiger reserve (PTR).
Official sources said the state government has put inspector general of police of Sagar range and director, PTR in the committee constituted by forest department. According to the information received in response to an RTI query, the then additional chief secretary MK Roy had recommended a CBI probe to look into poaching and disappearance of tigers from the sanctuary.
"The state government wants the CBI to probe the conspiracy in the disappearance of tigers from PTR and involvement of international smugglers in it. All such cases where challans have not been submitted should also be incorporated in it (probe)", Roy, who is now the chairman of Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE), had said in letter written in January last year. After a year of inter-departmental deliberations, the home department constituted a committee apparently rejecting the recommendations for a CBI probe.
"The home department has formed a committee to look into tigers' death overruling the then additional chief secretary of the forest department. They did not send the recommendations for a CBI probe to the Centre", said activist Ajay Dubey, who accessed Roy's letter through RTI.
Forest Minister Sartaj Singh said, "I have given my proposal (for a CBI enquiry). The decision (to form a committee) is taken by another department."
As per the norms, the decision to constitute a CBI inquiry is taken by department of personnel of training, on the recommendation of the state government's home department.
A report by state govt said there was no tiger in Panna reserve in the 2009 census.
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