Four Men who Raped, Killed and Ate Bengal Monitor Lizard in Maharashtra, Out on Bail
The deeply disturbing news has brought a heinous wildlife crime to light, where the protected creature was sexually abused, killed and cooked in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve
There were times when you opened a newspaper in the morning, it would bring you all the news from around the world, the day-to-day affairs. Now, I detest reading or listening to the news channels as their lion’s share is filled with rapes, deaths, murders, and wars. But I never thought I would read something like “Four Men Raped, Killed and Ate Bengal Monitor Lizard in Maharashtra, Out on Bail.” Simply horrifying!
It stirred an emotion of disgust for humankind that even a massacre wouldn’t have brought up. What is happening to the world? Where is this sick mentality coming from?
The incident of animal abuse occurred on March 29 at the Gothane village in Ratnagiri district, in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, in the state of Maharashtra. The forest department’s camera traps captured four men gang-raping a Bengal monitor lizard, killing and eating it afterward. It was the only monitor lizard in one of the nation’s most protected forest reserves.
Image: A.Savin/Wikimedia Commons
Meant for tracking tigers, the camera traps caught the four men illegally entering the reserve’s Chandoli National Park. Reportedly, one of them was carrying a gun for hunting. The four men were arrested between April 1 and 5. Forest officials also found photos and videos of the horrifying incident on the phones of the accusers. They even videotaped them gang-raping the animal.
Division forest officer Vishal Mali said;
I have never seen a crime like this before. The men are in their 20s and 30s, and they appear to have done it for fun. There was no religious or black magic agenda…Not only is this cruel, but there is a risk of zoonotic diseases from this kind of case. There are concerns of men carrying STDs and other infections from their act.
The four men have been charged under India’s Wildlife Protection Act 1972. Identified as Sandeep Pawar, Mangesh Kamtekar, Akshay Kamtekar and Ramesh Gagh, the men are local and are currently out on bail. The threatened monitor lizards are a protected species by law. The violators may be punished with a seven-year jail term atleast.
Last year, a report by wildlife advocacy groups stated that almost 5 lakh animals became victims of various crimes, including torture and killings, in the last decade in India. Out of those, 82 cases of sexual abuse against animals were recorded. Most recent episodes of sexual abuse against animals include a man raping and killing a four-month pregnant goat in Kerala, and a 60-year-old man raping a female stray dog last year.
While the men are out on bail, forest officials are positive that the photos and videos of the incidents will build a piece of strong evidence for the case. However, I wouldn’t be a tad bit surprised if these criminals walk free after this cruel, inhumane act. What are the odds of one monitor lizard getting justice in a country where half of the raped women don’t?
Via: The Hindu
