Three employees from the Kodaikanal Forest Division were suspended on Sunday for allegedly failing to investigate the death of an Indian Gaur.
The animal is said to have died on April 18 after it came in to contact with an uninsulated wire in encroached land.
District Forest Officer S. N. Thejasvi said the land in Devadanapatti village in Theni district, which belonged to PWD department, had been encroached by a mango farmer for 40 years. The land was adjacent to Murugamalai Reserve Forest and provided favourable conditions for cultivation of mangoes. The Indian Gaur were attracted to the fruit and often entered agricultural lands, seeking them during April and May.
On April 18, the animal reportedly came in to contact with a live wire connecting a borewell inside the farm and died. The farmer buried the carcass without informing the forest department. “Some farmers, who cultivated in nearby areas, told us about the incident, but our department staff in-charge of the area did not know what happened,” the officer said.
The farmer was remanded to judicial custody. “Following the suspension, a detailed inquiry has been ordered regarding the conduct of officials,” the DFO said.
Though the area’s forest range officer too was transferred on Sunday, it was not related to the incident, he added.