Mungantiwar has habit of killing tigers: Nirupam

Mumbai: Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam made a serious allegation against forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar over killing of tigress Avni. He said that Mr Mungantiwar has a habit of killing tigers. Pointing out to a list he said that 48 tigers have been killed in the last four years in the state in comparison to 14 tigers from 2008 to 2015. Mumbai Congress along with wildlife activists will stage a protest in Mumbai on Sunday. Meanwhile, Mr Mungantiwar in his rebuttal has warned Mr Nirupam of defamation case.

In a scathing attack against forest minister on Saturday, Mr Nirupam said, “I doubt whether forest minister’s hand is in glove when it comes to hunting tigers. Data reveals that there were just 14 tigers killed during 2008 to 2015 but suddenly the number has been increase since 2016. If we see, 16 tigers were killed in 2016 and 21 in 2017. So, this increase in number is suspicious and therefore, CBI inquiry must be ordered.”

Mr Nirupam also said that a proper investigation could have been done had the body of Avni (T1) tigress been there. “Her body has been burnt now. I don’t know whether her bones were stolen. Currently, the rate of one tiger is 50 thousand dollars in international illegal market. Therefore, it is important to check whether minister is there in the cartel,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Mungantiwar has refuted the charges completely. He said these are baseless charges and he will sue Mr Nirupam in the court. “Connecting me with international racketeers without proof is the lowest thing that Mr Nirupam has done. I haven’t heard such allegations against anyone. He has literally murdered the truth. I will file a defamation case against him in Chandrapur court,” said Mr Mungantiwar.