Two Arrested for Chasing Lions in Viral Amreli Video

TNN

Rajkot: Forest officials in Amreli district arrested two persons who allegedly harassed lions by chasing them, a video of the disturbing incident sparking outrage last week.

The accused, identified as Shivraj Manjariya and Ranjit Vala, are residents of Nani Dhari village in Khambha taluka of the district. Both have been booked under various sections of the Wildlife Protection Act.

The controversy began after a video surfaced on Instagram on May 6, showing some people recklessly chasing lions at night using a vehicle. The footage quickly spread across social media platforms and triggered outrage among wildlife lovers and conservationists.

While the viral clip appeared to show a single lion being chased, the forest department's subsequent investigation revealed that the duo had actually harassed a lion and a lioness.

According to officials, the lions were pursued on a motorcycle in a manner that endangered the animals and caused distress.

The investigation was conducted under the supervision of Vikas Yadav, Deputy Conservator of Forests for Gir (East).

During the probe, officials seized the motorcycle allegedly used in the chase, along with an iPhone 17 Pro Max and a Jio SIM card believed to be linked to the recording and circulation of the video.

Both accused were produced before the First Class Judicial Magistrate court in Khambha on Monday and remanded to two days of forest department custody for further investigation.

Amreli district is known to have more than 300 Asiatic lions living outside designated protected zones, making conservation and monitoring increasingly challenging.