Avni death probe: Hyderabad shooter, son to depose before conservation authority

HYDERABAD: Sharpshooter Nawab Shafat Ali Khan and his son Asghar Ali Khan will appear before the

National Tiger Conservation Authority

(NTCA) committee that is probing the allegations of lapses in shooting down the man-eater T1 (Avni) tigress in Yavatmal in Maharashtra.


Shafat Ali Khan told TOI, “I have received information from officials that my son and I have to depose before the NTCA committee on November 12 and 13. NTCA has summoned all those directly concerned with the incident of shooting the tigress.”

National Tiger

Conservation Authority

will be looking into the issue of shooting and find out whether all guidelines and procedures were followed while shooting down the ‘maneater’ tigress Avni. The NTCA probe panel comprises NTCA official Kandi Hemant, senior

wildlife

expert O P Kaler and Wildlife Trust of India Deputy director Jose Louise.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra state government has set up a separate probe committee which will also look into the same allegations. Wildlife activists have been alleging that the tigress was shot without being tranquilised and that the dart was manually pierced into the body after it was shot. Veterinary Council of India members alleged that Nawab and his son are not competent under the rules to tranquilise the animal. The duo, however, claimed that it was Maharashtra expert Mukbir Sheik who tranquiliesd the animal.

Another allegation that came out after the necropsy report is that the calibre of the weapon used to shoot the animal was less than what NTCA has suggested as per the rules.

Nawab Shafat Ali Khan refuted the allegations and said all the guidelines of NTCA and as well as orders issued by the Maharashtra forest department were followed.