Alwar cops held drill near Critical Tiger Habitat, says probe

JAIPUR/ALWAR: The ground on which Alwar cops had fired tear gas shots as part of their riot-control training drill a week ago, was located in an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ECZ) near the Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH) of Sariska Tiger Reserve, an initial probe by the forest department has revealed.
The action against cops, however, is still unlikely as the forest department claimed that they could not file a report against for the violation of Wildlife Protection Act, as the ground was found to be located outside the ‘forest limits’. The incident had unfolded on January 20 at an open ground, where the cops fired a range of weapons, including pump action guns, as part of enhancing their riot-control response skills. Alwar SP Rajiv Pachar had said it was a “silent practice” and claimed that no shots were fired. Local residents, however, contested the police version. One of the villagers had secretly shot a video to expose the police action.

“Though the ground is not under forest limits, the CTH’s boundary is indeed located close to the ground. And the police should not have conducted such an exercise in a sensitive zone, where other activities like construction are banned,” the forest official said. When contacted, DFO Hemant Singh Shekhawat said that Alwar police have been asked to carry out an internal probe, even as forest department looks into the matter. Interestingly, officials are clueless if the ground is a government land or a private property. The officials said they are checking revenue records to find the original holder of the land.