Mumbai
Talking to reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting, Kadam said that he had raised the issue of the tigress' killing and demanded a judicial probe.
Updated : Nov 14, 2018, 06:35 AM IST
The issue of tigress Avni's killing was raised in the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday with senior Shiv Sena leader and Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam seeking a judicial inquiry into the case. He also demanded an inquiry by a retired high court justice.
Talking to reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting, Kadam said that he had raised the issue of the tigress' killing and demanded a judicial probe. Since the committee appointed by the government to conduct an 'in-depth' probe into the incident includes those who were responsible for the kill, 'we are demanding an inquiry by retired justice', he said.
However, senior BJP leader and Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said he was not aware of the issue being discussed during the meeting. "When I came for the meeting, nobody spoke about it. I am not aware of the issue was raised in my absence," he said. He also denied Kadam's allegations of the inquiry committee consisting of people who were part of a team deployed for the search of the tigress.
When Kadam expressed concerned for the 'missing' cubs of Avni, Mungantiwar said, 'They are 11-month-old and the forest has adequate food for the cubs. There is no possibility that they would starve and die due to hunger.' The government is making all the possible efforts to capture the cubs, he added.
Another senior Shiv Sena leader and Industries Minister Subhash Desai said, "Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed the cabinet that the authorities concerned have been directed to expedite tracing tigress Avni's cubs. He also said the inquiry into the tigress' death would be conducted fairly."
Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam raised the issue of Avni’s killing in the cabinet meeting on Tuesday and sought a judicial inquiry into the case