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This is an archive article published on May 9, 2022
2 Bhavnagar farmers held for chasing 2 lions in van
The arrest of the duo came a few days after a purported video of people driving in a van and chasing two Gir lions went viral on social media.
“They saw the lions while they were on their way to their farm and chased the lions in their van. We identified the accused and arrested them after booking them for attempting to hunt lions,” Patel said.
Days after they allegedly chased two Gir lions while driving in a van, two farmers from Jesar taluka of Bhavnagar district were arrested by forest department on Saturday.
Mansukh Baraiya (52) and his nephew Vinod Baraiya (27) — both residents of Zadakala village in Jesar were arrested on Saturday, Jayan Patel, deputy conservator of forests (DCF) of Shetrunji wildlife circle told The Indian Express on Sunday.
“They saw the lions while they were on their way to their farm and chased the lions in their van. We identified the accused and arrested them after booking them for attempting to hunt lions,” Patel said.
The arrest of the duo came a few days after a purported video of people driving in a van and chasing two Gir lions went viral on social media.
“The incident took place around one-and-a-half months ago… They chased the lions for around 500 metres as Mansukh drove the van and Vinod recorded the video on his mobile phone,” said Nilesh Vegada, range forest officer (RFO) of Jesar.
Mansukh and Vinod were later produced in a local court on Saturday evening by the forest department. The court granted them bail, the DCF said.
The arrests came the same day as the arrest of one Rahul Baldaniya, a resident of Barbatana village in Rajula taluka of Amreli district. Baldaniya, a 22-year-old farmer, was arrested after a purported video of a man driving a tractor and chasing a lion went viral on social media and local news channels aired it.
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Gir lions enjoy the highest level of legal protection in the country as they are in Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Chasing a lion amounts to a hunting attempt and conviction in such cases can result in up to seven years imprisonment.
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