BJP leaders to be questioned regarding Suresh Gopi’s suspected leopard tooth pendant

At least two BJP leaders, who were seen accompanying Union Minister Suresh Gopi at Thrissur on the day he wore a chain with a pendant made of a suspected leopard tooth, will be summoned for interrogation.

The Pattikkad Range Forest Officer is likely to issue notices to the party leaders to record their statements this week on a complaint filed by a Congress worker A.A. Mohamed Hashim. Mr. Hashim had complained that the act of wearing a leopard tooth, a wildlife trophy, was an offence punishable under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

The Forest department had recorded the statements of Mr. Hashim in this regard last month. Mr. Hashim, who shared the news video clips of Mr. Gopi walking along the Swaraj Round wearing the suspected wildlife trophy, had identified one of the accompanying persons as K.K. Aneeshkumar, the Thrissur district president of BJP. Though unable to name the other one, the complainant had said he was an identifiable person.

In Kannur too

He had indicated that the Minister was seen wearing the ornament made out of suspected leopard tooth at a public function in Kannur too. Mr. Hashim, while giving his statement to the department, wanted the suspected ornament to be seized and its period of manufacture ascertained.

Information will be sought from the persons who were seen walking along with Mr. Gopi, on whether they had any idea that he was wearing the ornament made of a wildlife trophy. The possible existence of videos or pictures that would give clues on the material constituting the ornament will be explored, since the videos shared by the complainant are insufficient to prove the allegations, sources said.

The investigating officer will decide on questioning Mr. Gopi after looking into the statements of the witnesses and the evidence, they said.

Meanwhile, the Pattikkad Range Forest officer recently booked a wildlife crime against a person arrested by the Thrissur police for allegedly possessing suspected narcotic substances the other day. A suspected leopard tooth, ivory and a few strands of elephant tail hair were also recovered from the accused. The suspected wildlife trophies would be sent for analysis to ascertain their genuineness. If confirmed, the accused would be prosecuted under the Wildlife Protection Act, sources said.