The activists are alleging that the police and wildlife warden of Uttar Pradesh are trying to protect the university professors who have committed a crime punishable up to seven years of imprisonment. Interestingly, the accused themselves are experts of wildlife and were fully aware of the consequences of captivating a wild animal like Black Buck. Film star Salman Khan and former cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi have been in news for hunting Black Buck.
And now police have registered a case against five AMU teachers, namely — Prof Jamal Ahmed Khan; readers, Dr Afifullah Khan and Dr Satish Kumar; and other faculty members, Prof H S A Yahya, and Dr Orus Ilyas. A case of causing cruelty on animal by captivating it was lodged against the wildlife experts on July 9.
But activist worldwide and former students of AMU have started an online campaign demanding stringent action against the wildlife offenders.
Activists are demanding immediate arrest of all five accused. Those who are leading the online campaign are – Abhishek Kadyan (India), Asli Gedikfrankfurt (Netherlands), Ccristiano Pinnowviamão (Brazil), Paola GhidottiVigevano (Italy) and Mary Alice Pollard (UK).
Wildlife activist Naresh Kadyan, who lodged the complaint with the police, said: “Local police failed to impose relevant sections of the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972 in the FIR.”
“It is not just a matter of causing cruelty to the Black Buck. The main crime is capturing a protected animal. Cruelty comes later. Some people are trying to protect the offenders. It is going to set a bad precedence.”
Aligarh police registered the FIR against AMU professors after local newspapers last week reported that a Black Buck was in custody of the Wildlife department of AMU. Pictures of the same were also published in the newspapers. Reacting to the press reports, wildlife officials of Aligarh recovered the animal from the department. But the university maintained that “some villagers” brought the animal in the department in an injured state. However, the medical examination confirmed no injury.
Former student of AMU, Parveen Farzana Absar, said “What a blatant lie that the animal was picked up on first of July from the street of Jamalpur in an injured state!”
“The animal was kept in the cage in the department. When was the cage erected then? Or the cage existed before for other prized collections of the faculty members of the Department? The animal was in the department for more than a year. There was another Black Buck also which died after eating polythene.” Absar, now a student of biodiversity in Pune University, is ready to appear as a witness and file an affidavit in the court.
Another former student and now a member of World Conservation Union, Hilaluddin, said: “I have received pictures and video evidence that the black buck was found on the AMU campus and in the possession of Prof Jamal Khan. Despite this, the police and forest authorities appear to be in collusion with these persons.”
Prof Jamal Khan as well as University officials were unavailable for comment.