Hunting by Highups

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Pirzada’s brothers on wild hunt

Tripti Nath

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 7

A Chandigarh-based bureaucrat’s brothers have been allegedly hunting protected

animals, including Schedule I animals like leopards and chinkaras (Indian

gazelle), for almost 20 years.

Yadvinder Singh Pirzada and Gurlal Singh Pirzada, younger brothers of Gurnihal

Singh Pirzada, a 1982-batch IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, have been

allegedly hunting and killing Schedule I animals like leopards and chinkaras (an

Indian gazelle); Schedule III animals like ‘nilgai' (blue bull), wild boars,

cheetals (spotted deer) and barking deer; and Schedule IV birds like partridges.

Sources say Gurbakshish Kaur, mother of the Pirzada brothers, is the sarpanch

of Pirkot village in Bathinda district.

Assistant Programme Officer at Wildlife Trust of India Amlan Dutta says

hunting of animals categorised under Schedule I and part two of Schedule II of

the Wildlife Protection Act can attract the most stringent penalty.

He says Schedule I animals are the most protected ones under various wildlife

laws. " The use of even a licensed weapons for wildlife crimes can attract

penalty under the Arms Act, " he adds.

Sources known to the Pirzada family confirm that the brothers go hunting in

forests at Ropar (Punjab), Morni Hills (Haryana) and Kasauli (Himachal Pradesh)

twice a week and bring back dead animals like leopard cubs (see the picture).

Sources in the Pirzadas’ neigbourhood say it is an open secret that the

brothers go hunting around midnight and come back at dawn.

They also go to Hanumangarh in Rajasthan every winter to hunt and kill

chinkaras. They prepare pickle of chinkaras’ meat and gift it to the high and

mighty.

Even Gurnihal Singh Pirzada (placed under suspension) joins them on the hunt

but takes care not to pose for pictures during hunting, sources add. The

pictures in possession of The Tribune are those of his brothers.

PFA founder and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi, who gave copies of these

pictures to The Tribune, says although hunting of animals is illegal, it is on

the rise in Punjab. " I get one complaint of hunting from Punjab every day, " she

says. Stringent action should be taken against these people. " All three brothers

should be picked up for violating provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act,

1972. "

Vice-Chairman and Senior Adviser of the Wildlife Trust of India Ashok Kumar

says, " Hunting of wild animals is a heinous offence. It deserves the most

stringent punishment as per the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act. Once

upon a time, hunting was a royal tradition and some people have not given it up.

In general, one finds that wildlife laws are not taken seriously in Punjab. "

He cited the case of Salman Khan, who has appealed against five-year

imprisonment sentence by a Jodhpur court for killing a chinkara. In another case

regarding the killing of a chinkara by Khan, the Rajasthan Government has

appealed that his punishment of one-year imprisonment be enhanced.

He says the wildlife legislation does not spare anybody and cites the case of

the Nawab of Pataudi, who allegedly shot a black buck near Jhajjar in Haryana

last year. He is facing a trial in the case along with seven others. The case

opened for trial yesterday in an environment court at Faridabad.

He also mentioned the case where an MLA in Uttar Pradesh had to pay a fine of

Rs 5 lakh for killing two spotted deer (cheetals) about five years ago.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20061108/main7.htm

 

 

Dr.Sandeep K.Jain

 

 

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