The Patiala Police has arrested a Rajpura-based poacher for allegedly using his Pitbull and other dogs to illegally hunt porcupines, filming the incidents, and uploading the videos on his Instagram account, officers said on Thursday.
The arrest followed the intervention of BJP MP and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi, who was informed about the matter by a local animal lover and environmentalist Sahil Sharma.
In the heart-rending videos, allegedly uploaded by the accused — identified as Ajay, a native of Jansua area of Rajpura — on his Instagram account, a pack of dogs — at least one of them prima facie identified as Pitbull — could be seen hunting and mauling a porcupine mercilessly in the presence of two men whose faces are not visible.
Sharma said he had allegedly received an anonymous complaint regarding the videos, following which he contacted the office of the former Union minister, Maneka. “Following her intervention, police immediately took action against Ajay and raided the Jansua area to nab him. Subsequently, an FIR was registered.”
Based on a complaint filed by Patiala district’s Wildlife Range Forest Officer Charanjit Singh, the FIR was registered against Ajay under sections 9 (prohibition of hunting), 39 (wild animals, etc, to be government property), and 51 (penalties) of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, at the Sadar Rajpura police station.
In the FIR, it is mentioned that “several residents of Rajpura hunt porcupines using Pitbull dogs, and videos of such incidents are being uploaded on social media”. Listed as endangered species, “porcupines are protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and illegal hunting or poaching of them is banned”.
A complaint was received through the office of Maneka Gandhi, with videos enclosed in a pen drive, the FIR read.
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Speaking to The Indian Express, wildlife range officer Charanjit said: “Prima facie, the dogs in the videos are Pitbull breed, but further investigation is underway. The accused — Ajay, from whose Instagram ID the videos were allegedly uploaded — has been arrested. It is being probed whether the dogs belong to him… The duo seen in the videos are being identified. Prima facie, they engage in the activity for fun or to consume porcupine’s meat.. Porcupines are protected species (under the Act), but are often seen in the jungles of Punjab.”
