Pollachi: Azhiyar Police have lodged a complaint against the Forest department staff following a ‘fake’ complaint lodged by the tribes supporting the suspected leopard poachers.
According to a police source, the forest staff on Sept 6 recovered a carcass of a female leopard without head and nails in the Kandoor cannel; after autopsy they started an investigation suspecting it to be a poaching.
Recently Forest staff took a gang of five tribes involved in a poaching case and residing at Patta land near Azhiyar on outskirts of Pollachi. The gang admitted to their crime of poaching the leopard in question.
A gang of 50 tribes with weapons then entered the forest office and interrupted the enquiry, threatened the staff and took away the gang of five suspects.
Despite protests from tribals and seeking political support, Azhiyar police lodged an FIR against 50 tribals including the local tribal head and his son for the leopard poaching case, in a shocking twist the police also lodged a complaint against the Forest department, claimed to be first of its kind.
The NGO ‘Osai’ president Kalidasan condemned the police action against the Forest department, which he termed as demoralizing for the Forest staff, that could only result in more incidents of poaching as they would lose hope and interest in patrolling duty in protecting the forests. Case against forest staff should be revoked, he said.
