Uma Bharati may be creating trouble for Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Babulal Gaur in her home state but in Uttaranchal, which she calls her second home, she seems to heading for a mess herself.Uttaranchal’s Congress government is planning to initiate action against the senior BJP leader for ‘‘violating provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972’’ by allegedly entering the Kedarnath Musk Deer Sanctuary without permission.The State Wildlife and Forest Department has begun a probe into the alleged incident before formally booking Bharati. If proven guilty, she could face a jail sentence of three years and a fine of Rs 25,000, said senior Forest officials.The deer sanctuary, spread over 957 sq km in Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts of Garhwal is home to rare species like the musk deer, snow leopard and brown beer.According to officials, Bharati landed there in a helicopter on way to the Manani Devi temple situated within the sanctuary. For three days, she was in the sanctuary without permission, they added.Uttaranchal Forest Minister Navparbhat said that an inquiry team has been sent to Manani. ‘‘We want to be sure whether she actually landed in a helicopter inside the sanctuary,’’ he added. If found guilty, cases would be registered against Bharati and the helicopter company, the Minister said.Ved Parkash Singh, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Kedarnath, said that a second team has gone to the Manani area to gather details about her visit. ‘‘Notices would be issued to Uma Bharati and the helicopter company soon,’’ Singh told The Indian Express.Meanwhile, the Uttaranchal unit of the BJP has termed the government’s charges as ‘‘politically motivated’’.
