Hey folks, did you hear about the alleged illegal elephant procession that happened in Pirangut, Pune recently? Yep, you read that right! The Maharashtra State Forest Department is currently looking into the matter after receiving reports about a procession organized by Bhor MLA Shankar Mandekar’s team to celebrate his victory in the assembly elections.
Apparently, the event was put together by villagers and the gram panchayat of Urawade, who even managed to get an elephant from Sangli district for the occasion. The Honorary wildlife warden of Pune district, Aditya Paranjape, caught wind of the procession through social media and wasted no time in sending a team to investigate.
It turns out that the female elephant used in the procession belonged to Rahul Balkawade of the Ganpati Panchayat Devasthan in Tasgaon. While Balkawade did have permission to transport the elephant, it was strictly for transportation purposes and did not authorize its use in processions. The forest department is now working on identifying the individuals involved in the incident.
Meanwhile, Bhor MLA Shankar Mandekar is standing by his team, claiming that they had all the necessary permissions in place. However, if it’s found that the permissions were violated, an FIR may be filed. The Sangli Forest Department is also on the case, stressing that owning an elephant requires registration under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
So, if it’s determined that the procession was indeed unauthorized, the individuals involved could be looking at fines and even imprisonment. Stay tuned for updates on this wild story!
Thanks For Reading Report of Punepress.com