Chamarajanagar: Two persons have allegedly shot a video with tiger cubs at Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve in the district, the video of which has gone viral on social media, triggering mixed reactions.
Following the complaint in this regard, Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre has ordered for a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe.
On Oct. 14, three tiger cubs, separated from their mother, were spotted on Punajanur- Bedaguli Road in the district. The individuals had shot the video, after allegedly catching hold of them. They were identified as Javeed and Rafeeq of Attikan Estate, Bedaguli. The duo had allegedly shot the video on their cell phone camera, using the headlight of their jeep for proper image lighting.
As the video surfaced, social activist Dinesh Kallahalli had complained to Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre, flagging concerns about the tiger cubs.
“It is not possible to shoot such a video, without the help of Forest officials in the core area of the wild in the night hours. Why did they touch the 10-day old cubs?,” asked Kallahalli, raising a moot question to Minister Khandre, for probing the incident. Following this, Minister Khandre ordered for a probe by CID.
According to a notification issued by Additional Chief Secretary of Forest Department, a comprehensive probe has been ordered into the incident.
This follows a complaint, in which, some among those who shot the video with tiger cubs, had links with the NGO, that is under cloud, after being booked for wildlife related criminal charges in 2015. The doubts had been raised over the survival of mother tiger, with the possibilities of killing the big cat not being ruled out.
