Actor Darshan, MP Jaggesh under scanner after complaints of possession of wildlife articles

PTI, Oct 25, 2023, 4:58 PM IST

File photos

Bengaluru: Teams of senior officials from Karnataka Forest Department on Wednesday visited various places in different parts of the state to probe if celebrities and others against whom complaints have been received are in possession of wildlife articles, officials said.

Action will be initiated against them under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 if they are found in possession of such articles, they said.

Karnataka Environment and Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre said the law of the land is applicable to all without any discrimination and the government will act as per the law.

The Forest Department’s move comes days after contestant of Bigg Boss Kannada reality show Varthur Santosh was arrested from the set on Sunday for allegedly wearing a tiger claw pendant. He was later sent to 14 days in judicial custody.

Following his arrest, social media was flooded with photos of Kannada film actor Darshan, actor-turned-politician and BJP Rajya Sabha member Jaggesh, and JD(S) leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy purportedly wearing such pendants. Several organisations wrote to the forest department seeking action against them.

Actor-politician and former Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy clarified that the tiger claw pendant that he was seen wearing was fake.

”It has been reported in some media that Nikhil Kumaraswamy wore a Tiger claw pendant during his marriage. This is far from the truth. I am certainly aware of the seriousness of the Wildlife Protection Act. The Tiger claw pendant I was wearing was fake, not real. It was given as a gift for my marriage. I still have it. Concerned authorities can verify. Please request no one to spread news which is far from the truth,” he said in a statement on ‘X’.

Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Kumar Pushkar, said the department has received formal complaint against Darshan, leading producer Rockline Venkatesh, actor-turned-politician and Jaggesh, Venkateshwara Swamy in Kunigal and Vinay Guruji in Chikkamagaluru among others.

”We are verifying all these cases which have come to our notice through the media and several organisations which were received by us this morning. So, we are verifying each and every one of them and we will take action as per the Wildlife Protection Act wherever we find that the person actually possesses such wildlife articles,” he told PTI.

Asked if they would be questioned, the officer said, ”We are taking all kinds of action. Our senior officers are heading the team. As part of the ongoing probe, instructions were given to teams to visit the houses of all those against whom complaints were received. Accordingly, our teams visited them. Facts are being verified. We have yet to get feedback from our teams since the investigation is on.”

Meanwhile, on the direction of the forest minister, a high-level committee has been formed under the leadership of the Deputy Principal Chief Conservator of Forests-APCCF (Wildlife) to create public awareness and submit a comprehensive report on the measures to be taken to prevent the sale of products and items made from any part of wild animals, including tiger claws and tiger teeth.

Khandre has directed the panel to submit a report within a week about the cases (complaints) registered since the Wildlife Protection Act came into force, the action taken under the law and the steps to be taken in the cases currently registered and being registered.

The minister noted that under the Wildlife Protection Act which came into effect in 1972, no animal parts should be traded — be it a tiger tooth, its pelt, claws, deer skin, horns, or elephant’s tusks. There is no scope for using, storing, or transporting these wildlife materials anywhere.

”If at all anyone has done it, then it is a punishable crime. For this reason, the department will investigate complaints about some people sporting tiger claws, teeth or pelts and start legal proceedings against them. ”The law of the land is equal for everyone. No one is above the law. The government will initiate action as per the law. I do not have the complete information. Whoever gives complaints will be looked into,” Kharndre told reporters in the district headquarters town of Kalaburagi.

Citing the Wildlife Protection Act-1972, the minister said that no one is supposed to use these wildlife animal products.

”Today the case has come to light about the use of these materials by some individuals. Everyone should be aware of these laws and it is our primary responsibility to protect the ecology and wildlife,” he said.

Declining to name the individuals, the minister said the law of the land is applicable to all without any discrimination. He stressed that no one is above the law.