- Saturday, April 27, 2024
Sanjay Rambhau Gaikwad, who represents the state’s ruling Shiv Sena led by chief minister Eknath Shinde, made the stunning confession at an event in Buldhana, his constituency in Maharashtra state.
By: Shubham Ghosh
A LAWMAKER from the Indian state of Maharashtra recently left many people shocked by saying that he had killed a tiger nearly four decades ago and the necklace that he wears today features a tooth of that animal. Forest department officials seized the accessory later and booked the leader under the Wildlife Protection Act.
Sanjay Rambhau Gaikwad, who represents the state’s ruling Shiv Sena led by chief minister Eknath Shinde, made the stunning confession at an event in Buldhana, his constituency, recently, the Indo-Asian News Service reported.
The 53-year-old politician, who has been serving as state lawmaker since 2019, revealed the secret when asked about the tiger tooth in his necklace, along with other necklaces that he wears, the report added.
1987 ला मी वाघाची शिकार केली. तो दात माझ्या गळ्यात आहे"आमदार संजय गायकवाड यांची शिवजयंतीच्या कार्यक्रमात धक्कादायक कबुली#Sanjaygaikwad #Viralvideo #Saamanaonline pic.twitter.com/ssn4u0izdp
— Saamana (@SaamanaOnline) February 22, 2024
A video of Gaikwad making the proclamation went viral on social media, leaving netizens angry and shocked.
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“This is the tooth of a tiger. I had hunted it in 1987 and then removed it (the tooth),” the lawmaker said with a laugh.
He clarified that the tooth did not belong to a leopard but a tiger that he had ostensibly killed — even though killing of tigers has been banned in India since 1972.
Gaikward did not specify the location or the way by which he had killed the tiger. Buldhana and adjoining eastern parts of Maharashtra have a number of dedicated tiger sanctuaries.
The eastern districts of Maharashtra have around 440 tigers in the wild, the tiger Census in 2023 said.
The forest department took cognizance of the video and seized the purported tiger tooth. A case was also registered against the lawmaker under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, said an official source.
