New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday expressed his concern over the killing of Tiger Avni, shot down by a marksman, Nawab Asghar Ali Khan on Saturday night.
To express his concern over the killing of the Tiger, Rahul referred to a quote by Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi that the greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.
In a post on social media, Rahul said, ''the greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated. Mahatma Gandhi #Avni.''
Avni or T1, who was being hunted for killing and devouring 13 humans in the Pandharkawada- Ralegaon forests of Yavatmal district in eastern Maharashtra over the last two years, was shot dead on Saturday night.
She was a six-year-old mother of two cubs. Avni was protecting her two 10-month old dependent cubs in the vicinity of the Tippeshwar Tiger Sanctuary, since the past several weeks till she was shot down by a marksman, Nawab Asghar Ali Khan.
Expressing concern on the killing of the Tiger Avni, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi had on Sunday termed it as ' a straight case of crime' and said she would write to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devender Fadnavis to take a strong action in this matter.
"I am deeply saddened by the way the tigress Avni has been murdered by a professional anti- national killer at the behest of the minister in Yavatmal, Maharashtra. It is nothing but a straight case of crime. Despite requests from his own forest department and People all over India, Mr Sudhir Mugantiwar, Minister for Environment and Forests, Maharashtra gave orders for the killing.
We cannot allow this kind of insensitive and merciless attitude towards animals to prevail. I am going to take up this issue legally, criminally as well as politically. I will be writing to CM Maharashtra to take a strong action in this matter,''Mrs Maneka Gandhi said in a statement.(UNI)