Akankshya Mahapatra 
The three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Forest and Environment department to probe incidents of elephant deaths cover-ups in Athagarh Forest Division is expected to seek more time to furnish its report to the government. “As investigation is still in progress, we may seek some more time to furnish the report,” said one of the members of the team.
He said the two rangers of the division booked on charges of suppression of information are still absconding. “The hunt is on to apprehend them and we are hopeful that they will be arrested soon,” the senior forest officer from the SIT said and added that more details regarding the deaths and burial of elephants in the division will come to light after their interrogation.
The State government had constituted the SIT involving forest and crime branch officials to probe the elephant deaths cover-ups in Athagarh area after carcasses of three elephants, two male and a female, were recovered by the Crime Branch STF on June 2 and 3 and forest department on June 14 in Baramba range.
The SIT during their investigation in Baramba and Narasinghpur area exhumed another jumbo carcass with the help of Athagarh forest officials on June 27 prompting the forest department to assign it with the investigation of all such incidents reported in the division in the recent past.
