Ganesh temple priest, not officials, involved in birthday gathering at Ranthambore temple, finds NTCA probe

The inquiry team has submitted to the NTCA that the birthday party was a gathering the temple priest had held to celebrate a family member’s birthday, according to sources aware of the developments.

The people at the gathering had come in vehicles and overstayed their visit to the temple, past the sundown deadline to leave the tiger reserve. In light of the findings, the three-member team has recommended strict enforcement of the deadline to exit the tiger reserve, which is often frequented by religious pilgrims, it is learnt.

The inquiry team has asked the state forest department and the Ranthambore field officials to create a mechanism to inform visitors to Trinetra Ganesh temple of the tiger reserve’s entry and exit times, through announcements, for instance. The inquiry team included representatives of the NTCA, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, and a senior official of the Rajasthan forest department.

The Ranthambore field staff had fined the vehicle owners for overstaying, The Indian Express reported earlier.

In his April 5 letter to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, Meena also alleged that on the evening the birthday party was held, locals were disallowed to pray at the Ganesh temple, even as they were entering the park within the prescribed time limit. The NTCA had sought an explanation from the Rajasthan forest department and Ranthambore field officials and formed a three-member team to inquire into the matter.

The Trinetra Ganesh temple is located in the core zone of the Ranthambore National Park and Tiger Reserve. The temple is widely revered in the region, with locals visiting it almost daily and crowds thronging it during festivals.

Incidentally, between April and June, three people have died in tiger attacks. One of them, Kartik Suman, a 7-year-old boy, was killed near the Ganesh temple. On May 11, Range Officer Devendra Singh was killed near the Jogi Mahal gate, an erstwhile hunting lodge facing the Padam Talao lake. Kartik and Devendra were killed by Kankati, a sub-adult tigress born to the famous Arrowhead tigress, which died on June 19. Kankati was moved to Mukundara Tiger Reserve on Thursday and will be kept in a soft enclosure.

Soon after Meena’s complaint, the Ranthambore field director K R Anoop and the Rajasthan forest department defended itself in a letter to Centre. It said that Ranthambore field staff found private vehicles near Jogi Mahal and when they reached the Ganesh temple, they had found the priest and others preparing for bhajan. The officials had ordered all except those who live in the temple to leave, seized their vehicles, and recovered Rs 3,50,000 in fines.

When contacted, Anoop said, “The basic premise of Mr Meena’s complaint was that we had helped organise a gathering, but we were never involved in any such thing, nor did we give such permissions. The Ranthambore Fort and Ganesh temple are under the Archaeological Survey of India and they manage the premises. After the April incident, we have stepped up coordination to ensure visitors do not overstay.”