Bengaluru, 4 July

State Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre on Friday recommended the suspension of Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Y Chakrapani and three other officials for negligence and dereliction of duty in connection with the “unnatural deaths” of five tigers in the Male Mahadeshwara (MM) Hills, officials said.

Khandre’s decision came after reviewing the preliminary report submitted by a high-level inquiry committee headed by Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF) Kumar Pushkar, which was set up to probe the incident.

A female tigress and her four cubs were found dead in the Hugyam range of the MM Hills on 26 June after eating a cow carcass that was allegedly sprayed with poison by three people, who were later arrested.

Khandre further recommended departmental inquiries into their conduct, with a report to be submitted by 10 July.

It was also alleged that for the past three months, frontline contract staff had not been paid their wages or allowances, which hampered patrolling activities.

"This failure to ensure timely payment, especially by Chakrapani, is seen as a serious dereliction of duty," Khandre’s office said in a statement.

The preliminary report indicated that demotivated staff neglected their duties, which contributed to the incident.