Fatehabad, January 29

Bishnois are up in arms against the killing of black bucks in the area, even as the Wildlife Protection officials has arrested one person in connection with the poaching of a black buck at Bosti yesterday.

A meeting of members of the Bishnoi community was held at the office of Manoj Bishnoi, a son of former Tohana MLA late Hanuman Bishnoi today. Parveen Bishnoi, a close kin of HJC supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi, Rameshwar Dass, president of the Akhil Bhartiya Jeev Raksha Samiti, Ishwar Bishnoi, president of the local unit of the Jeev Raksha Samiti and members of the community from some neighbouring villages attended the meeting.

“Nearly, 16 to 17 black bucks have been killed in Fatehabad and Hisar in the past one month,” said Ishwar Bishnoi after the meeting. He said all these killings had been carried out by poachers, who operated with impunity in connivance with the Wildlife officials. The Bishnois are known as conservationists to whom preservation of animal and vegetable life is part of their religion.

Ishwar said Bishnois alleged that these were the killings, which had come to light, but the actual number of poachings could be even bigger. They said the department had been hiding the poaching by maintaining that dogs had mauled the black bucks, though actually these were the handiwork of poachers, whose dogs chased the hapless animals, after they were first targeted by poachers’ bullets.

He said the Bishnoi community would launch an agitation in case the authorities did not stop the killing of black bucks immediately. “We have served 48-hour ultimatum to the authorities to arrest poachers and stop the killings of black bucks or face agitation,” said Ishwar.

Meanwhile, Satbir Singh Sheoran, Divisional Forest Officer, Fatehabad, said the Wildlife Protection officials had arrested Om Parkash, a villager from the Bawaria community for yesterday’s poaching.