Sunday, July 31

Leopard killed in-front of Police,SDM and DFO in Mandwadi

                                    This photo is captured from Patrika
Another incident of man animal conflict and leopard goes to rest for ever. While news of the tragic attack on a leopard by the villagers is not a concern for the forest officials, hiding the facts have become a priority. 

The incident is of Mandawadi of Rajpur sub-Division on Saturday.The barbaric act and the ruthlessness of the villagers was captured on the Camera being instigated by the SDM and other administration present at the time of the incident.
                                 Using  this Pictures without permission will come under copyright action
The Version of Forest as expected--It dived into the well and died of shock. Shame on all of us who are becoming inhuman and insensitive.


DFO Sendwa was present at the time of incident confirmed by DFO Barwani who was briefed about the incident after 5 hours after the death of the Leopard.

The fact is it died of stone pelting in the presence of Police, SDM and DFO as captured on TV crew of a local channel.The incident is of Khandwa Circle.
             Photo Of UDAI

The stories have been planted by the Forest department to save a face off gain. Will somebody question them on the Guidelines given by MOEF on Man Animal Leopard Conflict? Why were the guidelines not followed? Has the Madhya Pradesh wildlife wing ever considered briefing the lower staff and other on the Guidelines? Or Dr HS Pabla busy planning translocation instead of wildlife management and Conservation.

The Wildlife Wing of the MOEF has not parted with the details of Leopard since 2003 as not sufficed by Madhya Pradesh or the head office of the Wildlife Madhya Pradesh has data /Figures of casualties, deaths, births of Leopards as confirmed by them in writing to us.

We are anguished and sad.

Who is accountable for this tragedy? Why are leopards wandering from their habitat? A transparent inquiry with all facts to be shared with us is insisted along with the postmortem reports from the Chief Wildlife Warden of Madhya Pradesh. Suspending the lower staff will not suffice or close the case. The HOD should be made accountable.
In the last 5 years more than 125 Leopards have died, 85 through poachers, 11 man animal conflict 29 died due to natural deaths or illness.
 In 2004 the population was 1075 at present  in 2011 its estimated as 1073


Watch it for yourself
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e7hZB9wJfw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIYOamcd388&feature=channel_video_title

Monday, July 11

Statement SC order Dated 5.7.11 ON SALWA JUDUM/SPOs

We warmly welcome the order by Justice Reddy and Justice Nijjar
directing the State of Chhattisgarh to stop using SPOs incounterinsurgency operations, disarm them and stop supportingvigilante movements by any name, as well as the order to the Centredirecting it to cease from financially supporting SPOs to engage incounterinsurgency.Judging from the personal reactions we have had – from a huge varietyof people many of whom we do not even know – the order has been widelyhailed as a brilliant and landmark restatement of constitutionalvalues.  If the state is to be recognised as legitimate it must actlawfully and cannot sacrifice the law and Constitution for immediateexpediency.  As the judges have so movingly and beautifully written“the power of the people vested in any organ of the State, and itsagents, can only be used for promotion of constitutional values andvision.” However, judging by the reaction of the Home Ministry and theChhattisgarh government, as well as by their supporters in the media,this basic constitutional principle is being willfully ignored. Thissimply reinforces the point that the judgement makes about the way inwhich the respondents are undermining the Constitution and therebynational interests.  Instead of appreciating the wisdom of the Courtthey are talking about a review petition.Right from 2007 when the case was first heard before the Chief Justiceof the Supreme Court, the Court has consistently maintained that thestate cannot arm civilians. This has been the considered opinion ofnot simply Justices Reddy and Nijjar but also of Justice Balakrishnanand the other judges who have accompanied him on the bench, includingJustice Kapadia, and Justice Aftab Alam.That the SPOs and Salwa Judum have been engaged in horrific crimes isa matter of record. At the same time, the law must be allowed toaddress these crimes and the Maoists cannot take matters into theirown hands. The judgement also directs the State of Chhattisgarh to“investigate all previously inappropriately or incompletelyinvestigated instances of alleged criminal activities of Salwa Judum,or those popularly known as Koya Commandos, filing of appropriate FIRsand diligent prosecution.”The judgement is as much a lesson for the Maoists as for thegovernment, that when the Constitution does swing into action, it hasthe power of people’s aspirations behind it, and is a more powerfulweapon in their hands than the gun.  As the judges say, “the fightagainst Maoist/Naxalite violence cannot be conducted purely as a merelaw and order problem to be confronted by whatever means the State canmuster. The primordial problem lies deep within the socio-economicpolicies pursued by the State on a society that was alreadyendemically, and horrifically, suffering from gross inequalities.Consequently, the fight against Maoists/Naxalites is no less a fightfor moral, constitutional and legal authority over the minds andhearts of our people. Our constitution provides the gridlines withinwhich the State is to act, both to assert such authority, and also toinitiate, nurture and sustain such authority.”We therefore appeal to the Maoists to join the public in hailing thishistoric judgement and to desist from harming SPOs in any way. Theyshould be allowed to peacefully reintegrate into their villages. Wealso appeal to both the Maoists and the government to initiate peacetalks on the basis of justice and constitutional principles, sinceultimately that is the only way forward.

Nandini Sundar

Ramachandra Guha

EAS Sarma