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Journalism of Courage
The tales of bumbling babudom are a legion, but the latest one can still raise a chuckle. In mid-December, one of our correspondents filed a story on how the well-heeled and influential of the states of Haryana and Punjab have developed a taste for hunting wild boar and other game in the Ropar Kandi area near Chandigarh, even while forest officials swear that no shikar takes place in the region. A few weeks later the story drew a response at last 8212; but not the required one. Instead of ordering an inquiry into the issue or stepping up surveillance in the area, the authorities preferred to haul up the Indian Express correspondent who filed that story for allegedly participating in the hunt! With hamhanded responses like this, is it any wonder that conservation in this country finds itself in a pathetic state? The state of tiger is documented well enough and even a schoolchild knows that the species will soon be extinct if an open war is not declared on poachers and illegal traders. What is lessknown is that India is steadily losing out on numerous other species of bird and beast thanks to its careless, even cavalier, approach to its natural life.
What the report on Ropar Kandi bears out is that if the people who poach are powerful enough they have a good chance of escaping the provisions of the Wild Life Protection Act 1972. The law specifically bans a person from hunting any wild animal specified in Schedule 1 of the Act. Hunting other animals requires special game hunting licences. But a law, alas, is only as good as the enforcers allow it to be, especially in a situation where one8217;s station in life determines the certainty or otherwise of punishment. So while a poor villager may be hauled up for the crime of poaching, the big guns 8212; even if they are caught 8212; invariably get away double quick. As the Pataudis did a few years ago. Their famous duck shoot at the invitation of a Jamp;K politician, is just an example of how easy it is for the VIP to escape scrutiny.
