SP chief alleges Sarus crane missing from sanctuary, slams BJP; DFO refutes claim

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav today alleged the Sarus crane, taken away by Forest Department officials to the Samaspur bird sanctuary, went missing and was later rescued by some locals

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav Thursday alleged the Sarus crane, which was taken away by Forest Department officials from a man in Amethi who rescued it and was taking care of it for a year, to the Samaspur bird sanctuary, went missing and was later rescued by some locals.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Rupesh Srivastava said in Raebareli that the Sarus was seen in the sanctuary Thursday morning and it did not go missing.

"Many thanks to the bird-loving 'Bi Saiya' village that saved the Sarus, fed it and did the work in which the Uttar Pradesh government failed. The truth is that there can be no greater power than love... If the BJP people understand this in time, then maybe the hatred inside them will reduce a bit," Mr. Yadav said on Twitter.

Earlier in the day, the Samajwadi Party chief tweeted that the bird has gone missing, and said that it was a serious matter.

"The famous sarus, which was forcibly taken away from Amethi by the UP Forest Department and released at Samaspur Bird Sanctuary in Raebareli, is now missing.

"Such government negligence towards the state bird of Uttar Pradesh is a serious matter. The BJP government should immediately find the Sarus. Otherwise, the bird lovers of the whole world will agitate. Shameful!," Mr. Yadav said in a tweet in Hindi.

He also tagged a media report which quoted a Forest Department official as saying that the Sarus crane has gone missing from the bird sanctuary.