A fisherman has been arrested in Bihar’s Saharsa district after a video exhibiting him catching a dolphin within the Kosi River and taking it house went viral on social media.
Officers mentioned {that a} uncommon Gangetic dolphin acquired trapped in his fishing web. As a substitute of releasing it, the fisherman was seen carrying it house.
Within the meantime, a neighborhood recorded the incident on his cellphone and shared the video on-line because it went viral. The fisherman was heard speaking about extracting oil from the dolphin within the video.
The footage ultimately reached forest division officers and the district administration, following which a case was registered in opposition to the fisherman. Nevertheless, authorities had been unable to seek out the person quickly after an FIR was filed.
The search continued for the following two days earlier than he was discovered and the Bihar Police arrested him on the third day.
Watch the video:
Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Om Prakash mentioned a case had been registered in reference to the dolphin being hunted and killed. He mentioned the forest division and Bihar Police had collectively initiated proceedings in opposition to the accused.
“The accused has been arrested and is being questioned. After that, he will likely be despatched to judicial custody,” the officer mentioned.
The incident has additionally drawn consideration to the authorized safety accorded to dolphins in India. Searching or killing dolphins is prohibited beneath the Wildlife Safety Act, 1972.
The Ganges river dolphin, which is discovered within the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna river system, is an endangered freshwater species and India’s nationwide aquatic animal. The species is protected beneath Indian wildlife legal guidelines, and looking it will possibly appeal to extreme punishment.
Below the Wildlife Safety Act, offences involving protected species can carry imprisonment of as much as seven years, together with a high-quality, relying on the relevant provisions.
(With inputs from Dhiraj Kumar Singh)
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