In the wake of the shocking deaths of 10 elephants at Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has suspended two senior officials for alleged lapses in duty.
The action follows an inquiry report submitted by a high-level team investigating the incident, which has drawn national attention and raised concerns over wildlife safety practices at the reserve.
Reserve Director Gaurav Choudhary and in-charge Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) officer Fateh Singh Ninama have been relieved of their duties due to “laxity” in their roles, said the Chief Minister.
According to Yadav, Choudhary’s suspension was necessitated by his failure to return to work after a leave and allegedly switching off his phone during the crisis.
“The high-level team has submitted its report. Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve director has been suspended for switching off his phone, not returning to work after leave and other reasons. ACF Fateh Singh Ninama has also been suspended,” Yadav ssaid.
The Chief Minister described the deaths as “very painful” and stated that the administration had deployed the forest minister and senior officials to the reserve for an on-site investigation.
However, he clarified that initial findings did not indicate the presence of pesticides in the food consumed by the elephants or any “outside” involvement.
“The post-mortem report of the elephants will come in two or three days,” he said.
The incident occurred over a 72-hour period, with the first four elephants found dead in the reserve’s Sankhani and Bakeli areas on October 29, followed by four more fatalities on October 30 and two on October 31.
Toxicity is suspected, particularly due to the large quantities of kodo millets discovered in the elephants' stomachs, though authorities await further test results to confirm the cause.
Last Friday, in an emergency meeting, CM Yadav dispatched a special team, including Junior Forest Minister Pradeep Ahirwar, Additional Chief Secretary Ashok Baranwal, and head of Forest Force Aseem Shrivastava, to investigate.
They returned to Bhopal on Sunday with preliminary findings, though several teams continue to probe the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident.
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