Accused of secretly burning tiger carcass, 2 Madhya Pradesh officials ‘on the run’, govt offers Rs 5,000 for info

As per the notice, the case “pertains to the illegal burning and destruction of the carcass of a wild tiger without the permission of the competent authority and the disposal of its burnt remains into a drain”. “The accused involved in the said case is a government servant who remains absconding till date,” the notice said.

The incident first came to light on August 2, when photographs of the burnt remains surfaced on a WhatsApp group of senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers, triggering alarm across the state’s forest establishment.

Investigations later revealed that the carcass had been discovered near the Potutola Canal, nearly 10–12 days earlier. Instead of reporting the matter, Ghormare and Hanote allegedly concealed the discovery and destroyed the evidence. Six other beat staff have since been arrested.

Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey, who tipped off wildlife officials, following which the investigation began, said, “it is a case of negligence that the two main accused in the case have now absconded.”

Wildlife officials had earlier maintained that the tiger had died a natural death. However, senior officials have sharply criticised the handling of the case. Vivek Jain, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Admin-1), wrote to Balaghat DFO Adhar Gupta, saying that the incident reflected “gross negligence and indiscipline” in supervisory duties.

“From the above details, it is evident that in this highly important case, you failed to exercise control over your subordinates and did not inform your senior office about the matter in accordance with the rules in a timely manner,” the letter read.

The State Tiger Strike Force has informed the police, the Special Task Force, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, and other enforcement agencies about the accused, said a wildlife official. Authorities said the names of informants who provide leads about the absconding officers would be kept confidential.