Journalism of Courage
Premium
This is an archive article published on August 23, 2023
Farmer brothers held after Asiatic lion electrocuted on farm in Gir Somnath
Some people who were passing by the area, officials said, reported about a stench while crossing a bridge across the Babarva stream between Anandpur and Pedhavada villages of Kodinar on August 18.
3 min read
The Forest Department produced them in a local court on Monday and the court rejected the bail application of the accused and sent the duo to 14-day judicial custody.
Listen to this article
Farmer brothers held after Asiatic lion electrocuted on farm in Gir Somnath
x
00:00
Two farmer brothers have been arrested by the Forest Department after an Asiatic lion was allegedly electrocuted when it came in contact with an electric fence around their farm in the Anandpur village in Kodinar taluka of Gir Somnath district last week, officials said on Tuesday. The duo have been denied bail by a local court in the matter, they added.
Some people who were passing by the area, officials said, reported about a stench while crossing a bridge across the Babarva stream between Anandpur and Pedhavada villages of Kodinar on August 18. The passers-by informed about the stench to a former sarpanch of the nearby village who in turn informed the local forest staff. Consequently, the staff of Ghantvad round in Jamwala range of Gir (west) wildlife division scanned the area near the bridge and found a decomposed carcass of a lion on the bed of the river. Veterinary officer of Jamwala took possesion of the carcass in the presence of assistant conservator of forests Jamwala and Jamwala range forest officer (RFO) and concluded that the carcass was of a male Asiatic lion, around three to five years in age.
Jamwala RFO Ashok Amin said that investigation the following day led to the agricultural farm of Jitubhai Parmar of Anandpar village. Further investigation, the RFO said, revealed that Jitubhai had created an electric fencing round his field of groundnut by erecting steel wires and then releasing in them grid power available on his farm for irrigation purposes on the night of August 14.
The young lion came in contact with the live wire and was electrocuted, as per officials. However, the farmer allegedly didn’t inform the Forest Department about the incident and instead hid the carcass on his farm. With the help of his elder brother Virbhanbhai Parmar, Jitubhai dumped the lion carcass in Babarva stream at 2 am on August 15. A case of lion hunting was registered at Jamwala range forest office on August 18 and formally arrested the two farmer brothers on August 20. During their interrogation by forest officers, the farmer brothers said that they had created the electric fencing to protect their groundnut crop from wild ungulates like wild boars, blue bulls and spotted deer, which raid farmers standing crops, especially after darkness fell. The Forest Department produced them in a local court on Monday and the court rejected the bail application of the accused and sent the duo to 14-day judicial custody.
The incident happened just four days after schools and colleges in thousands of villages participated in public awareness drive organised by the state’s Forest Department to mark the World Lion Day on August 10, highlighting that Asiatic lions, an endangered species of big cats is presently found in Gir forest and other protected areas spread across districts like Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Amreli, Bhavnagar etc in Saurashtra region of Gujarat.
Advertisement
Top Stories
Live Blog
Loading Taboola...
Advertisement