Lost gun exposes hunter-policeman
Supriya Sharma, TNN | Apr 27, 2011, 04.34am IST



ACHANAKMAR: Ten days ago, under a carpet of dry leaves in Achanakmar tiger reserve, forest guards stumbled on a revolver in a brown holster. The same day, deputy superintendent of police Irfan Khan claimed the revolver, saying he had lost the gun during an anti-Maoist operation.

This would have been plausible but for a small anomaly: Achanakmar is in Bilaspur district in northwest Chhattisgarh, an area free of Maoists. And Khan heads no counter-insurgency force but the traffic police in Bilaspur.

"The truth is Khan was out hunting two nights ago," said a forest official, who did not want to be named. His claim was backed by several villagers and forest staff.

April 13 was the last day of Navaratri. The people of Chaparwa, a settlement inside the reserve, had gathered at the village temple for 'prasad'. Around 9pm, three gun shots pierced the silence of the jungle. The villagers got startled. So did Bhagat, the forest ranger of Chaparwa.

Along with his men, Bhagat rushed in the direction of the sound. He found a car parked on the side, with a man standing next to it. The man claimed he had stopped to answer nature's call. Despite being asked to stop, the man drove his car away.

Bhagat relayed a message on the wireless, asking the car be stopped and checked. At 10:45pm, 18 km from Chapwara, at Lamani checkpost, the forest staff found an angry, abusive man step out of the car. He said, "How dare you stop me? I am the DSP. Main tum jaise laundon ko bharti karta hoon," recalls a forest guard who was there. The car was checked but since nothing was found, Khan was allowed to proceed.

At dawn, the priest of Chaparwa temple stepped out and saw three men frantically combing through the dense undergrowth. As he raised an alarm, the men drove away. Two days later, close to that spot, forest guards found the revolver.

"I have formed a committee to probe whether the firing took place and what was seized," said I N Singh, conservator of forests. Apprehensive that the police officer could use his influence to suppress facts, local wildlife groups have asked for the intervention of an agency like the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

"The law is very clear on tiger reserves and sanctuaries. Even a police officer needs permission from the chief wildlife warden to enter the area with a weapon," said Meetu Gupta, member, state wildlife board.

Contiguous to Kanha in Madhya Pradesh, Achanakmar was declared a tiger reserve in February 2009. According to government estimates, it has 12 tigers apart from leopards, bisons, cheetals, sambars, and barking deers.

IGP Arun Dev Goutam said he has received a complaint against a police officer. He acknowledged there was no recorded Maoist presence in Achanakmar.

Typical feudal autocracy among officials. I just hope the top cops do not make this into a feud against the forest & wildlife department.