VIP culprits

THE Union ministry for environment and
forests held an independent probe into
the controversial dinner hosted by the
Telugu Desam Party members near
Hyderabad. According to the findings,
meat of wild animals is commonly served
in some areas of Andhra Pradesh. This
particular dinner was organised to celebrate state irrigation minister Tummala
Nageshwara Rao's three years in office.

Officials in the ministry say that the
Union ministry is planning to initiate
action once the detailed report is available. But according to the representa-
tives of the Worldwide Fund for Nature
(WWF), it will be difficult to prosecute
the culprits as the state government may
protect the accused. Valmik Thapar, a
wildlife expert, says that this particular
case is different from the Rajasthan case.
There the Bishnoi community initiated
action against the filmstars who killed
the blackbucks. In this case, the state
itself is involved, he said.