The primary issue identified was the non-payment of salaries and allowances to frontline outsourced staff, which severely hampered patrolling activities in the critical area where the tigers were found dead. (Representational image)More than a week after five tigers, including a tigress and her four cubs, were found dead in Karnataka’s Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, Minister of Forest, Ecology and Environment Eshwar B Khandre has suspended two forest officers for dereliction of duty and recommended the suspension of an Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer.While Gajanana Hegde, Assistant Conservator of Forests of M M Hills Wildlife Division, and Madesh, Range Forest Officer-cum-Surveyor, have been suspended, Deputy Conservator of Forests Chakrapani Y is facing suspension. All three were placed on compulsory leave on June 30 pending further investigation.Khandre’s recommendation on Friday comes after reviewing a preliminary report by a high-level inquiry committee headed by Kumar Pushkar, Additional Chief Principal Conservator of Forests.The primary issue identified was the non-payment of salaries and allowances to frontline outsourced staff, which severely hampered patrolling activities in the critical area where the tigers were found dead.The order said, “It is found that the officers have failed in their basic duty of ensuring timely payment of wages to watchers, even though the funds were made available at the end of April 2025. It is also not clear why the pending payment of wages for the month of March 2025 has not been considered, while it should have been taken on high priority. Similarly, for the wage payments of April and May 2025, there is unjustifiable delay in submission of bills to the Treasury.”The outsourced staff had staged protests on June 23 over unpaid wages dating back to March.The preliminary probe has also revealed that the tigress and her cubs were killed as revenge for the death of a cow. “The prime reason for the death of 5 tigers was killing of one such cow, which led to retaliatory killing by poisoning. Action has to be immediately taken to control the grazing of these cattle inside the sanctuary to avoid such incidents in future and especially the complete ban on the non-local cattle in this area. A review of grazing rights to the local people, if any, and review of such situations has to be done to consider compensations and to create awareness among the locals about the provisions of the compensation,” the order further said.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Bengalurutiger