RAIPUR: A heated debate erupted in the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly on Wednesday over tiger poaching, with Leader of Opposition Charan Das Mahant accusing the state government of failing to dismantle an organised tiger poaching syndicate. Responding to the allegations, Forest Minister Kedar Kashyap denied any political patronage and assured the House that all those involved would face stringent action.
Raising the issue through a Calling Attention Motion, Mahant alleged that a political syndicate was operating behind the poaching network. He questioned why the identities of the arrested Maharashtra Police personnel were not disclosed initially and claimed that surveillance cameras in the Indravati Tiger Reserve had been switched off for nearly two hours during the poaching incidents.
Mahant further said that despite an advisory issued by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) on May 13, 2026, directing intensified patrolling in vulnerable areas, forest officials failed to act. Referring to the recent seizure of two tiger skins, he claimed that one belonged to a tiger aged around two-and-a-half years and the other to a tiger about one-and-a-half years old.
Rejecting the allegations, Forest Minister Kedar Kashyap said there was no attempt to shield anyone and dismissed claims of a political syndicate. He maintained that all 126 surveillance cameras installed across the Indravati Tiger Reserve were fully operational and continuously monitored tiger movement.
Providing details of the investigation, Kashyap informed the House that an anti-poaching team intercepted two suspects on the Bande-Pakhanjore Road in Kanker district at 11:20 PM on June 29. Officials recovered two tiger skins, 13 whiskers, and a motorcycle from their possession.
The accused were identified as Biyeshwar Gedam, a constable attached to the Intelligence Cell of the Gadchiroli Special Branch in Maharashtra, and Baburao Madavi, a confidential informant for the Gadchiroli Police. Both were produced before the Bhanupratappur Court on June 30 and remanded to judicial custody. Following their arrest, the Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police suspended Gedam and terminated Madavi’s services.
The minister said follow-up searches at Netiwada Village along the Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra border led to the recovery of traps, knives, 12 tiger claws, four canine teeth, and a third concealed tiger skin. Seven more suspects were subsequently arrested and produced before the Bijapur Court on July 6.
Kashyap also informed the Assembly that Range Officer Kamal Singh Kashyap, Deputy Ranger Narhari Singh Baghel, and Forest Guard Vishwanath Manjhi had been suspended for negligence and dereliction of duty.
Replying to queries from Congress MLA Vikram Mandavi, the minister said the 2022 Tiger Estimation confirmed the presence of five tigers in the Indravati Tiger Reserve, which operates with an annual budget of ₹10 crore.
Countering the Opposition’s allegation that seven to eight tigers had been poached during the BJP Government’s tenure, Kashyap said five cases involving six tiger skins had been registered between 2024 and 2026, leading to the arrest of 41 accused. He added that samples from the recent seizures had been sent to the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, for DNA analysis to determine the age and geographical origin of the tigers.
