Staff REPORTER
Itanagar, Feb 5: The Save Arunachal Youth Association (SAYA) has demanded the immediate termination of the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) and other officials of the Roing Forest Division, alleging negligence that led to the death of a police personnel in a tiger attack.
Addressing a press conference here today, SAYA president Likha Rajnik said that the organisation has submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister seeking strict action against the officials concerned.
Rajnik claimed that tourists and local residents had frequently spotted tigers along the same stretch of road prior to the incident, and videos of the animals were widely circulated on social media.
He further said that the Zilla Parishad Member (ZPM) of the concerned area had written to the Deputy Commissioner, urging immediate measures to rescue or relocate the tigers in the interest of public safety. “Despite repeated alerts, the forest department failed to initiate timely action. Had preventive measures been taken earlier, the tragic incident could have been avoided,” he alleged.
Calling for a free and fair probe, SAYA demanded that the case be investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and said the Roing DFO should resign on moral grounds. He also informed that SAYA lodged an FIR against the DFO at the Itanagar police station.
Meanwhile, Arunachal Democratic Party (ADP) spokesperson Johny Yangfo also condemned a reported statement by Forest and Environment Minister Wangki Lowang, in which the minister reportedly described the tiger attack as an unexpected incident, stating that animals generally do not attack humans.
Yangfo demanded that the compensation for the victim’s family be enhanced to Rs 1 crore, terming the Rs 10 lakh compensation announced by the forest department as inadequate.