Friday August 14, 2009, 7:56 pm
अफ्रिकन शेर को पिंजरे में बंद रखना एशियन सर्कस के मालिक को महंगा पड़ा है। पुलिस ने वन विभाग की ओर से दी गई तहरीर के आधार पर उनके खिलाफ पशु क्रूरता अधिनियम और वन्य जीव संरक्षण अधिनियम के तहत मुकदमा पंजीकृत किया है और आरोपी को गिरफ्तार कर जेल रवाना कर दिया है।

अंतर्राष्ट्रीय पशु रक्षा अधिकार संस्था के सदस्य नरेश कादियान की शिकायत पर गुरुवार को डीएम अमृत अभिजात और एसएसपी विजय प्रकाश ने पुरकाजी के गांव भूजाहेड़ी के जंगल में स्थित राजीव गुप्ता (एशियन सर्कस के मालिक) के फार्म हाउस पर छापा मारा और वहां पिंजरे में बंद अफ्रिकन बब्बर शेर नरसिम्हा को मुक्त करा लिया। जिला प्रशासन का मानना है कि राजीव गुप्ता ने न केवल अफ्रिकन शेर को अवैध रूप से पिंजरे में बंद कर रखा था बल्कि उसके साथ क्रूरता पूर्ण व्यवहार भी किया है। इसी कारण पुरकाजी थाने में वन क्षेत्राधिकारी राजेन्द्र सिंह की ओर से 3/11 पशुवध क्रूरता अधिनियम और वन्य जीव संरक्षण अधिनियम के तहत मुकदमा पंजीकृत कराया गया है। पुलिस ने राजीव गुप्ता को गिरफ्तार कर जेल भेज दिया है। राजीव गुप्ता ने प्रशासन की तमाम कवायद को कोर्ट की अवमानना और अनावश्यक उत्पीड़न की संज्ञा देते हुए कोर्ट में लड़ाई लड़ने की बात कही है।

गौरतलब है कि एशियन सर्कस के मालिक राजीव गुप्ता के फार्म हाउस पर यह शेर पिछले आठ वर्षो से पल रहा था। केन्द्र सरकार द्वारा जंगली जानवरों का सर्कस में प्रदर्शन प्रतिबंधित करने के बाद राजीव गुप्ता ने शेर को अपने फार्म हाउस पर रख रखा था। उधर, गुरुवार को उनके फार्म हाउस से शेर बरामद होने के बाद देर रात वन विभाग ने राजीव गुप्ता के नई मंडी आवास पर छापा मारा। यहां से वन विभाग के कर्मचारियों ने नाखून रहित शेरनी की एक ट्राफी, एक पेंथर की नाखून रहित ट्राफी और पेंथर के बंच्चे की दो ट्राफियां बरामद की। इस संबंध में नई मंडी कोतवाली में क्षेत्राधिकारी वन भूदेव पंवार की ओर से भारतीय वन्य जंतु अधिनियम 1991 के तहत मुकदमा पंजीकृत कराया गया है। राजीव गुप्ता के फार्म हाउस से बरामद कराए गए अफ्रिकन शेर नरसिम्हा को शुक्रवार को जयपुर रवाना कर दिया गया। वहां रेस्क्यू सेंटर में शेर को रखा जाएगा।

Gurgaon, December 3, 2002

The Ministry of Environment and Forests has directed the Deputy Commissioner, Gurgaon, to take action against the owners of Asian Circus for violating the Union Government notification which bar the exhibition and the training of certain animals.

In its DO letter no RKJ/2/2002-AWD, dated December 2, 2002, the ministry has mentioned that as per the gazette notification no 9-9/97-AW, dated October 14, 1998, no circus in India can exhibit bears, monkeys, tigers, panthers and lions.

The letter further mentioned that if the violation of PCA Act, 1960, is found action against the circus may be taken as per Section 38 of the Act. The seized wild animals may be handed over to the Chief Wildlife Warden, Haryana, or his representative. The officer will thereafter make arrangements for their rehabilitation in rescue centres to which they will be transported, added the letter.

The ministry has acted following the complaint by the chairman of People for Animals, Haryana, Mr Naresh Kumar Kadyan.

In the presence of the media, Mr Kadyan with fellow colleagues visited Asian Circus, at present running in Gurgaon city, and found that the circus owns three lions.

Mr Satendra Gupta, manager of the circus, informed mediapersons that the Supreme Court had banned the display and training of Indian lions whereas Asian Circus owned three African lions.

They had also taken the stay order from the Allahabad High Court for keeping the three lions in the circus in Uttar Pradesh, added Mr Gupta. The manager further clarified that the circus was neither giving training to the banned animals nor displaying them to its viewers. All these three African lions were just kept in the cage, said the manager.

Mr Kadyan explained that the Supreme Court had banned all kinds of lions. No circus was authorised to keep lions, added the chairman of PFA.

Till late in the evening, the district administration had not taken any action against the circus. One of the officials from the office of the District Forest Officer-cum-Wildlife Warden said the department was willing to seize the animals but had no infrastructure to keep them.

The official further said the department had also no funds for executing such type of work.

Mr Kadyan said that People for Animals was ready to bear the expenses for seizing the banned animals and making arrangements for transporting them to the assigned destination.

The letter written by the ministry elaborated that Section 34 of the PCA Act 1960 empowers any police officer above the rank of a constable or any person authorised by the state government in its behalf, who has reason to believe that an offence against the Act has been or is being committed in respect of any animals, may, if in his opinion the circumstances so require, seize the animal and produce the same for the examination by the nearest magistrate or by such veterinary officer as may be prescribed, and such police officer or authorised person may, when seizing the animal, require the person in charge thereof to accompany it to the place of examination.

One of the animal lovers observed that the district administration may be busy in making arrangements for the Chief Minister’s scheduled visit tomorrow in the district.

Gurgaon, December 4, 2002

The failure of the district administration to act in time and seize the three African lions of Asian Circus, presently running in Gurgaon, gave an opportunity to the circus owners to run away with the proscribed animals. On the complaint of an NGO, the People for Animals, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests had directed the Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner, Mr Arurag Rastogi, on December 2 to take action against the Asian Circus for violating the Union Government notification, which bars exhibition and training of bears, monkeys, tigers, panthers and lions.

Yesterday, the representatives of People for Animals, the police department, the forest-cum-wild life department and the media inspected the circus and found the three African lions being exhibited during a show. However, the local administration did not respond with any urgency and seize the banned lions. Today, Wild Life Inspector, Mr Sultan Singh, And Sub-Inspector, Mr Shahid Khan, along with the chairman of People for Animals, Haryana, Mr Naresh Kumar Kadyan, inspected the circus and found all the three African lions missing. The owners, managers and other senior officials of the circus were also untraceable. In fact, the first show of the circus, which started at 1 p.m., ran as usual. While the show was on, the government officials read out a notice and appealed to the owners/managers of the circus to come forward and accept the same.

Eventually, at about 4 p.m., the wild life officials pasted a notice on the entrance gate of the circus. The notice states that “The circus has three African lions, which were seen on December 3. But today, these lions are missing.”

The owners of the circus have been directed to produce the ownership certificate of these lions. If they fail to do so, legal action would be initiated against them, warns the notice. The Conservator of Forests, South Circle, Gurgaon, whose office had pasted the notice, has also directed the circus owners to produce the ownership certificates of elephants in its custody.

After the notice was pasted, the second show, which was scheduled to start at 4 pm, was cancelled. The show was cancelled by the management of the circus and not by the police, it has been clarified.
मुजफ्फरनगर। लगभग दस वर्ष से पुरकाजी के जंगल में पिंजरे में कैद अफ्रिकन बब्बर शेर नरसिम्हा को आखिरकार आजादी नसीब हो ही गई। पशुओं के हित से जुड़े अंतर्राष्ट्रीय संगठन की पहल पर यह कार्रवाई हुई है और डीएम और एसएसपी ने प्रशासनिक अमले के साथ मौके पर जाकर शेर को पिंजरे से मुक्त कराते हुए उसे वन विभाग के हवाले कर दिया है। शेर को जयपुर स्थित रेस्क्यू सेंटर भेजे जाने की तैयारी चल रही है। उधर, शेर के पालनकर्ता ने प्रशासन पर जबरदस्ती करने का आरोप लगाते हुए कोर्ट में जाने की चेतावनी दी है। एसएसपी का कहना है कि कई पहलुओं से इस मामले की जांच की जा रही है और संभव है कि शेर के कथित मालिक के खिलाफ आपराधिक मामला भी दर्ज हो।

गुरुवार की दोपहर अंतर्राष्ट्रीय पशु रक्षा अधिकार संस्था के भारतीय प्रतिनिधि नरेश कादियान दिल्ली से मुजफ्फरनगर पहुंचे और एसएसपी विजय प्रकाश और जिलाधिकारी अमृत अभिजात से मिलकर भूजाहेड़ी में बंधक बनाकर रखे गये शेर की जानकारी दी। नरेश कादियान का यह भी आरोप था कि शेर को अवैध रूप से पिंजरे में बंद रखा गया और उसके साथ बेहद अमानवीय बर्ताव किया जा रहा है। नरेश कादियान ने पेटा कानून का हवाला देते हुए कार्रवाई की मांग की। नरेश की शिकायत को दोनों अदिकारियों ने बेहद गंभीरता से लिया और वन अधिकारी राजीव अस्थाना और एसडीएम सदर व फोर्स के साथ तत्काल मौके पर पहुंच गये। अधिकारियों के आदेश पर शेर के मालिक राजीव गुप्ता को बुलाया गया। राजीव गुप्ता ने हाईकोर्ट के आदेश का हवाला देते हुए शेर को अपनी वैध मिल्कियत साबित करने का प्रयास किया, परंतु अधिकारियों ने इसे अपर्याप्त बताते हुए शेर को को वन अधिकारी की देख रेख में सौंप दिया। शेर को पशु रक्षा अधिकार संस्था की मदद से जयपुर स्थित रेस्क्यू सेंटर भेजने की तैयारी चल रही है। एसएसपी विजय प्रकाश ने बताया कि राजीव गुप्ता के दावों की वन अधिकारियों द्वारा जांच पड़ताल की जा रही है। हाई कोर्ट के स्टे आर्डर भी अध्ययन किया जा रहा है। अब तक की जांच से यह साफ हो गया है कि राजीव गुप्ता ने नियम विरुद्ध ढंग से काम किया है। उनके खिलाफ मुकदमा दर्ज होगा।

Saturday August 15, 2009, 8:55 am
Asian circus closed down, pet animals has been transferred ownership but wild animals African lion and Elephants became pride and tool of publicity, income as well for Rajiv Gupta. The Wild Life authorities of Utter Pardesh seems to be dull and failed to perform their duties to protect Wild animals. People for Animals Haryana lodged a complaint against Rajiv Gupta, owner of Asian circus in the month of December, 2002 with Gurgaon Police, Animal Welfare Division issued directions to the Deputy Commissioner, Gurgaon but clever Rajiv Gupta moved back along with Ramu, Begam African lions and their male cub Narsinhma.It would be pertinent to mention here that ownership certificate has been issued by the Chief Wildlife Warden UP for foreign species African lions, under which circumstances it was done shall be investigated because this was a criminal conspiracy, these ownership certificate withdrawn / canceled by the concerned authorities, Rajiv Gupta moved to the High court against these orders and got stay but this case was not followed by the UP Wildlife authorities...big question mark on the integrity of tainted officials. Ramu was died later but Rajiv Gupta never produced any proof for the disposal of dead body of Ramu as per set procedures.hence FIR No. 152 lodged on 13-8-2009 with Police station, Purkagi. As per information with OIPA in India Ramu was died in 2004 and Begam was died in 2006, her dead body was also not disposed off as per set procedure in the presence of concerned officials because her bones were recovered by Naresh Kadyan in the presence of Zee news / local Police, this bone was handed over to the SP Nagar in the presence of SSP, Muzaffarnagar, the attendant of farm house reported that a bag full of bones of Begum was kept with the Michal, servant of Rajiv Gupta. Asian circus Elephants needs attention because UP Wildlife authorities are not interested to search three Elephants and other animals of Asian circus....Animal Welfare Board of India also kept silent on this issue.
Raiv Gupta never declared animals as per notification issued in 2003 by the central Govt. as per section 63 of the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972. It would also be pertinent to mention here that farm house where Narsinhma was kept in very poor and unhealthy conditions for a long period not approved rescue center as per section 38 H of the said act. On the tips of Naresh Kadyan and directions of the DM / SSP, a team was constituted to inquire the crime and this team conduct raid on the different places related to Rajiv Gupta....four wild animals trophies were recovered, FIR was lodged with the local Police station in Muzaffarnagar. Rajiv Gupta was arrested on August 13,2009 and produced before the competent court, sent to judicial custody for 14 days as reported by PFA Haryana activist. Narsinhma was rescued and sent to Nahargarh rescue center in Jaipur. ZEE News telecast exclusive coverage of this rescue operation.
Naresh Kadyan, representative of the International Organization for Animal Protection - OIPA in India / founder chairman of the People for Animals (PFA) Haryana recommend / nominated ZEE News for OIPA award for their best coverage and coordination to the successful rescue of a African lion. Sanjay Vohra, Kuldeep Singh of Zee news work was appreciated, DM and SSP performed their duties well and both authorities were very intelligent and friendly to the public, OIPA in India extended gratitude to them and offered a training camp for awareness / workshop on the animal related laws for all officers.

OIPA in India needs volunteers to work for animal rights and their welfare, interested people can send their applications along with their photograph, contact No. to
- Naresh Kadyan, Representative of the International Organization for Animal Protection - OIPA in India, C-38, Rose Apartment, Prashant Vihar, sector - 14, Rohini, DELHI - 110085.
Email - india@oipa.org
Cell - +91-9813010595, 9313312099.