Bhopal:

The Madhya Pradesh Forest Department went through a major administrative shake-up this week amid scrutiny over the alarming increase in the number of dead tigers in the Bandhavgarh reserve, and public outcry fuelled partly by NDTV’s ground coverage of the wildlife crisis.

Subharanjan Sen, who was Acting Principal Chief Conservator, has been replaced amid claims the department, under his charge, had mishandled tiger conservation efforts in the state.

The decision was taken after the National Tiger Conservation Authority sought a response from the state’s Wildlife Department regarding serious concerns raised by a special investigation team.

The SIT’s report – highlighted by NDTV on August 1 – pointed red flags in the department’s handling of tiger deaths, including procedural lapses and negligence by officials.

READ | Alarming Rise In Tiger Deaths in Madhya Pradesh Reserve: Report

Vijay N Ambade, previously Deputy Director-General of Forests in Nagpur in Maharashtra, will replace Sen. The transfer order – issued by Kishore Kumar Kanyal, Deputy Secretary to the Forest Department, said it was for “administrative” reasons and will take immediate effect.

NDTV’s reportage helped shed light on the worrying increase in tiger deaths in Bandhavgarh and the Shahdol forest area between 2021 and 2023. As many as 43 tigers died in this period.

READ | Another Dead Tiger In Madhya Pradesh, With Bullets Wounds In Skull

Some of these have been linked to poaching and others to negligence by wildlife officials.

The SIT report – which NDTV has seen – said there were 34 tiger deaths in Bandhavgarh alone, with the other nine in the Shahdol area. The report also pointed out many of these were not properly investigated; postmortem procedures were conducted without the necessary oversight and, in many cases, the deaths were prematurely attributed to fighting between rival tigers.

NDTV Impact | After Tiger Deaths, Notice Issued To Bandhavgarh Deputy Director

Taking cognisance of these reports the NTCA demanded clarification from state officials.

Last week Sen wrote back, acknowledging the lapses and admitting that protocols established the NTCA, a statutory body house in the Union Environment Ministry – were not followed.

Sen’s own report claimed 30 deaths were during the tenure of other senior officials who also failed to follow established protocols. This has led to recommendations for further inquiries and possible disciplinary action against officials involved.

Meanwhile, there have been calls for a thorough review of management practices within Bandhavgarh. Ajay Dubey, a prominent wildlife activist, pointed to a “leadership crisis” within the Forest Department and emphasised the need for permanent and accountable officers.

NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.

A day after NDTV published an exclusive report on a concerning surge in Madhya Pradesh tiger deaths, a prominent wildlife activist has called for a CBI investigation into the matter and the state government has assured action. The report, which was based on findings from a report ordered by the forest department, uncovered alleged negligence and procedural lapses in handling tiger cases, raising serious concerns about the state of wildlife conservation in the region.

Noted wildlife activist Ajay Dubey said, “A black spot in Madhya Pradesh was the complete elimination of tigers in Panna Tiger Reserve in 2009. At that time, an investigation report indicated that international smugglers were active in the state and that forest officers were involved in tiger poaching. This situation seems to be repeating in Bandhavgarh. Given the involvement of forest officers, we think that the CBI, with its expertise in cases of tiger poaching and wildlife, should investigate this matter.”

Mr Dubey pointed out that the investigation into tiger deaths in the Shahdol division indicates the involvement of a crime syndicate, hunters and local forest officials.

“Whenever hunting takes place inside the forest, the intelligence failure of the forest department helps hunters succeed. No preventive raids have been conducted and the hunters who were caught could not be convicted due to insufficient evidence. The court acquitted the accused due to a lack of scientific evidence. The entire matter demands a thorough inquiry,” he said.

Government’s Response

Madhya Pradesh Minister of Forest and Environment Ramniwas Rawat has assured that action will be taken. “You have given me the information, I will get the report and take appropriate action,” he said.

READ | Alarming Rise In Tiger Deaths in Madhya Pradesh Reserve: Report

On March 6, 2024, Shubh Ranjan Sen, the in-charge Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, submitted a report exposing an alarming number of tiger deaths and hunting incidents within the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve and its surrounding forest divisions. According to the reserve, 12 tigers died in 2021, nine in 2022 and 13 in 2023.

According to the report, the major causes of tiger deaths over the past three years include electrocution, conflict, disease/illness, old age, organ capture, poisoning, road accidents and “uncertain causes”. The highest mortality was observed in the Manpur buffer zone, followed by the Tal, Magadhi, and Khitauli core areas. There was an overall increase in mortality in 2023.

Some of the lapses uncovered by the report were:

• Videography of postmortems was not conducted in all cases.
• Police Occurrence Report (POR) for tiger deaths was not recorded in most cases.
• There was an absence of prescribed veterinarians for postmortems, and most parameters were not followed.
• Efforts to protect crime scenes were inadequate, and dog squads or metal detectors were not used.
• Sample collection and sealing were poorly handled, affecting the chain of custody during court cases.
• Case diaries or documentation were often not prepared.
• Final NTCA reports were not submitted in several cases by officials from both the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve and Shahdol Forest Range.
• Many cases of tiger deaths were superficially classified as infighting without a thorough investigation.
• Postmortem reports often lacked signatures from the concerned veterinary officers and in some instances, no wildlife medical officer was present.

The tiger population in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve increased from 63 in 2014 to 165 in 2022, but this was accompanied by a concerning rise in tiger deaths. The report highlights that the increasing number of tigers and developmental activities have led to an increase in conflicts between them, as well as fatalities.