Odisha Govt Sets up Special Team to Probe into Recovery of Elephant Skeletons in Athagarh Forest Division

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government has set up a special team to probe into the death of an elephant and recovery of elephant skeletons from Athagarh forest division in Cuttack district.

The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) has constituted the three-member team, which will be led by Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF). The team comprises a wildlife conservator and a senior official of Crime Branch. It will submit the report within one month.

“The team will carry out a thorough and comprehensive investigation into the instant two cases keeping in view various angles such as alleged connivance of staff, criminal negligence and willful concealment of facts. The SIT will ascertain whether there are more such occurrences in the Division. They will go into details of forward and backward linkages and examine the possibilities of involvement of inter-state organized wildlife crime syndicates in these cases,” an order said.