Shiv Sena MLA Who Beat Tranquilised Leopard With Mob Under Fire, Animal Groups Demand Action
PETA India, Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA), Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (WRRC), and the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO), have written to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena Chairperson (Mukhya Neta) Shri Eknath Gangubai Sambhaji Shinde urging swift action against Shiv Sena MLA Shri Chandrakant Nimba Patil after reports and widely circulated video footage appear to show him and others beating a two-year-old female leopard during an official forest department operation in Muktainagar, Jalgaon. In a separate representation to the Deputy Conservator of Forests (Territorial), Jalgaon, Shri Ram Dhotre IFS, the coalition has urged forest authorities to immediately register a preliminary offence report (POR) and coordinate with local police for prompt criminal action against all accused persons identified in the footage and through investigation.
According to a media report and circulated videos, the leopard was spotted near a government guesthouse and darted with a tranquiliser during a removal operation. As the sedative took effect, onlookers, including MLA Patil, reportedly took the matter into their own hands and began chasing and striking the leopard with sticks in a chaotic scene before officials were finally able to secure her.
The organisations have requested that authorities take action under The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, which prohibits hunting of protected wild animals and defines “hunting” to include capture-related acts and attempts. They also noted that offences involving Schedule I animals attract enhanced penalties under the Act.
The coalition has additionally urged that applicable provisions of other laws be invoked wherever the facts support them, including for cruelty and obstruction of public servants in the discharge of their duties.
PETA India and other groups have called on the Maharashtra Forest Department to conduct a time-bound inquiry into how the crowd was permitted to close in on the leopard during the operation and to adopt corrective measures to prevent future rescues from being compromised by mob interference.
