High-level team sent by CM finds no ‘conspiracy theory’ in MP's Bandhavgarh jumbo deaths

Bhopal: A high-level team sent by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve following the death of 10 elephants did not come across any “conspiracy theory”, one of its members said on Saturday.

The team comprising MP forest junior minister Pradeep Airward, additional chief secretary Ashok Baranwal and head of Forest Force Aseem Shrivastava visited the spot inside the protected forest.

According to wildlife expert Ajay Dubey, never before have ten elephants died within a 72-hour period in the country.

An official said that the CM rushed Ahirwar and the two top bureaucrats to the reserve and asked them to submit a report on the elephant deaths that have made national headlines.

The CM is dissatisfied with the preliminary report of the forest department that the pachyderms died after consuming a lot of kodo millets, an official, who attended the urgent meeting convened by Yadav on Friday night, told PTI.

Quoting the CM at the meeting, the official said Yadav stated that he had never heard of elephants dying after eating kodo millets. “The CM was unhappy over the failure to scientifically ascertain the cause of deaths even after three days,” he said.

Speaking to PTI over the phone from the tiger reserve in the state’s Umaria district, Shrivastava said, “No conspiracy theory has come to light so far.” Asked about their findings during the visit, he said, “We have been asked to prepare a report. We are discussing it. The report will come out once it is finalised,” he said.

Meanwhile, two persons were killed and one injured near the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve on Saturday by three elephants which are believed to be part of the herd that lost 10 jumbos earlier.

Asked whether the elephants have been captured, Shrivastava said, “No.” Minister Ahirwar told PTI, “We are here. I am here till Sunday evening. The inquiry touching all aspects is on. The report will be out in three to four days and everything will be clear.”

On October 29, four wild elephants were found dead in Sankhani and Bakeli under the Khitoli range of the reserve, while four died on October 30 and two on October 31.

As per officials, the post-mortem of the carcasses has pointed to toxicity along with huge quantities of kodo millets in their stomachs.