Bhopal: A confidential report by the field director of the Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) indicates big cats in the sanctuary were wiped out because of a nexus between poachers and the forest staff.

Documents in possession of DNA reveal the forest top brass has been sitting idle on the highly confidential report submitted by field R Shreenivasa Murthy. The department has also ignored Murthy's suggestion that officials, including forest guards and field directors, be interrogated to crack open details of the nexus.

Murthy had also recommended constitution of 'Panna Tiger Reserve High Powered Special Investigation team' to investigate the poaching issues and the nexus, confidential documents accessed by activist Ajay Dubey reveal. "This is a clear cut case of fence-eating-the-crop syndrome and locals losing the heart of PTR," Murthy wrote in his report sent in January this year.

His 'top secret' letter addressed to Dr H S Pabla, chief wildlife warden, reads: "To ensure non-coercion or non- manipulation of independent witness(es) of the cases, it is recommended once again to post R T Sanago and R K Jaiswal (the then range officers of Chandra Nagar and Madla ranges of the reserve) far away from PTR, in the fartherest districts of Madhya Pradesh."

The PTR field director says the stretch between 2002-2007 was a 'turbulent period' for tigers and other wild animals. Big cats in the reserve were wiped out completely during this period. Though experts and wild-life activists have been seeking a CBI probe into the 'Panna debacle', the forest department and government have been rejecting the demand.

Murthy's letters indicate why the department and the government may not want a detailed investigation by the Central agency. Murthy says in their records, the PTR establishment, at least at the range/sub-divisional level of Chandarnagar range and Madla sub-division, tried to suppress and ignore cases of poaching.

Another letter which comprises final investigation report submitted by the PTR intelligence cell suggests that two unaccounted metal traps were recovered from the forest range office of Chandarnagar. Murthy further stressed upon thorough investigations of nexus between the poachers and the forest officials to ensure the future survival and sustenance of tigers and Tiger Reintroduction Project at PTR.

He wrote that a special investigation team should be constituted with officers of highest integrity and professional ethics. He recommended creation of secure environs to the reintroduced tigers in and around PTR in the perpetuity by confirming the final identification of the culprits of the PTR establishment and the actual criminals including traders by constituting PTR-HPSIT to unfold the full big picture of Panna debacle and pining them down.

"The undersigned has done this report with an unbiased and dispassionate approach with a single motto of securing the success of Tiger reintroduction project and ensuring its perpetual dynamic presence in the landscape…I would like to categorically reiterate that this report does not have personal bias against anybody. All the inferences are based on either material or documentary evidence… Trust this report is received positively and acted upon," the letter concludes.