Two arrested for poaching in Ponnaiyar Reserve Forest at Sathanur dam
The Hindu
Two men arrested in Tiruvannamalai for poaching in Ponnaiyar RF. Officials seized gun, explosives, nets, phones, torch lights, batteries. Pandian worked as wage labourer, hunted animals to sell meat/hides. Equipment procured from Kerala. Case registered under Indian Wildlife Protection Act. Pandian sent to 14-day judicial custody. RF known for spotted deer, wild boar, peacocks, rabbits.
Two men were arrested by forest officials for poaching in the Ponnaiyar Reserve Forest (RF) at Sathanur dam, near Tiruvannamalai, on Friday.
When a five-member team led by R. Srinivasan, Forest Range Officer (Sathanur range), was on patrol in the Ponnaiyar RF on Friday around 12:30 a.m., it found B. Pandian, 37, a resident of Thanipadi village, and his accomplice K. Rajesh, 42, a resident of Kolamanjanur village, riding on a two-wheeler with a country-made gun deep inside the prohibited area.
Once they saw the team’s jeep, they tried to flee. However, the team managed to nab them. The officials seized the gun and two-wheeler and some explosives, nets, mobile phones, torch lights and batteries from them.
Initial inquiries revealed that Pandian worked as daily wage labourer in his village. As the income from his job was not adequate, forest officials said he and Rajesh had been visiting the RF to hunt wild animals to sell their meat and hides. Pandian had procured equipment for hunting from Kerala through some contacts. A case has been registered under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Pandian was sent to 14-day judicial custody and lodged in the Tiruvannamalai sub-jail.
The Ponnaiyar RF is known for having a large number of spotted deer, wild boar, peacocks and rabbits as it is a part of Jawadhu Hills in Tiruvannamalai district.
“We are judges and therefore, cannot act like Mughals of a bygone era ... the writ courts in the guise of doing justice cannot transcend the barriers of law,” the High Court of Karnataka observed while setting aside an order of a single judge, who in 2016 had extended the lease of a public premises allotted to a physically challenged person to 20 years contrary to 12-year period stipulated in the law.
The High Court of Karnataka on Monday declined to interfere, at present, in the investigation against a Bharatiya Janata Party worker, who is among the accused persons facing charges of circulating obscene clips, related to “morphed” images and videos clips related to Prajwal Revanna, former Hassan MP, in public domain through pen drives and other modes.
The 16th edition of Bhoomi Habba was held on June 8, at the Visthar campus. The festival drew a vibrant crowd who came together to celebrate eco-consciousness through a variety of engaging activities, creative workshops, panel discussions, interactive exhibits and performances, all centered around this year’s theme: “Save Water, Save Lives.”