The Karnataka Forest Department has constituted a special task force (STF) to deal with the barrage of complaints about celebrities and common people wearing tiger claws and look into the status of past cases relating to the possession of wildlife artefacts. The task force has been directed to submit a report in a week.
Days after a reality show’s contestant and bull race organiser, Varthur Santosh, was arrested from the sets of Bigg Boss for wearing a tiger claw pendant, the Forest Department received numerous complaints about other celebrities sporting similar pendants.
The department received complaints against Kannada cinema actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, Rajya Sabha MP Jaggesh, Vinay Guruji, film producer Rockline Venkatesh and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy and others. Raids were conducted on the residences of these persons on Wednesday.
Following complaints, Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment Eshwar Khandre directed his department to form a committee/task force to recommend action in these cases, look into the status of previous cases and provide suggestions for stringent implementation of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The committee is headed by Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife), Kumar Pushkar.
The task force will have the Chief Conservator of Forest of Bengaluru, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, and Shivamogga and the Deputy Conservator of Forest of Bengaluru Urban, Tumakkuru, Koppa, and Shivamogga districts. The task force was formed by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest.
