Writ petition filed in MP High Court over cheetah’s death, seeks CBI probe

Following the death of cheetah KNG22, Bhopal-based wildlife activist Ajay Dubey filed a writ petition in the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday, seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the incident. The development comes a day after the 19-month-old male cheetah succumbed to its pellet injuries while undergoing treatment at a veterinary facility in Jabalpur.

Talking to Mathrubhumi English, Dubey said, “I have filed a petition in the MP High Court demanding a CBI enquiry into the matter.”

Dubey also criticised Chief Minister Mohan Yadav over his silence on the cheetah’s death. The criticism comes amid questions over the CM’s public response to the incident, even as he shared pictures from his visit to Shujalpur on Wednesday, where he went to assess the blackbuck capture operation.

“There has been pin-drop silence from the CM on the cheetah’s death. It is unfortunate, especially since he also holds the portfolio of Minister of Forest and Environment. Nobody is raising questions against the CM as to how he is ignoring the matter,” Dubey said.

He further alleged that Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav had also not publicly commented on the incident.

“Not just the CM, but Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has also been speechless. Since yesterday, no senior ministers have spoken on it,” Dubey added.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Madhya Pradesh and former Forest and Environment Minister Umang Singhar also questioned the state government’s response to the cheetah’s death while speaking to the media on Wednesday.

“This incident has happened at a time when there is a discussion across the country about the rehabilitation of cheetahs and their safety. The Prime Minister inaugurated this project, but a male cub has now been injured by pellets. Although the Central government and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) have constituted a committee, many such incidents involving tigers and cheetahs are taking place in the state,” Singhar said.

Questioning the state government’s response, Singhar asked whether it would act only after the Centre intervened.

“Why is the Madhya Pradesh government unwilling to take an immediate decision on this? Is it that the state government will act only when the Central government wakes up?” he said.

Singhar also questioned how the state government planned to ensure the safety of cheetahs once they were released into the wild.

“Chief Minister Mohan Yadav wants to release cheetahs but does not want to secure them. He wants to open the gates of the enclosure, but how will they be safe in the jungles? The government must answer what it has done and what it plans to do,” he said.

The 19-month-old male cheetah, KNG22, an offspring of cheetah Nirva, was found injured on October 25 in the territorial forests of Sheopur district, outside the protected area of Kuno National Park. It was rescued by the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department and shifted to a veterinary facility in Jabalpur for treatment. Five firearm pellets were recovered from its body during emergency surgery, but the animal succumbed to its injuries on October 27.

The Union government has deputed a high-level team comprising officials from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) to investigate the circumstances leading to the cheetah’s death. The Madhya Pradesh government has also constituted a Special Task Force comprising forest and police officials to investigate the incident.