Minister Vanni Arasu faces flak for pursuing tiger in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve

Conservationists have called for action against Minister for Social Justice, Adi Dravidar Welfare and Hill Tribes, Vanni Arasu, following a video that surfaced on social media showing him chasing a tiger in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR). The footage depicts the Minister and his family in a forest department-operated safari vehicle, along with staff and officials, as they seem to be pursuing a wild animal.

Moreover, the Minister is captured getting close to a wild elephant, though this incident reportedly took place in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Conservationists have demanded the Forest Department take action under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, citing that the Minister's actions set a dangerous precedent by flouting the rules designed to protect wildlife.

According to a conservationist from The Nilgiris, allowing a minister to disregard these regulations could result in dangerous behavior being normalized. The official from the Forest Department, who was present during the incident, asserted that the Minister did not enter a reserve forest area and that the tiger was seen on a plot at a resort in Achakarai where he was staying.

The staff accompanied the Minister solely for his safety, according to the official, and the Minister had not disembarked from any safari vehicle at the time the video was recorded. Conservationists, however, dispute this explanation, arguing that resort owners are also strictly prevented from allowing foot traffic or wildlife approaches, and that the Forest Department should uniformly enforce these rules and take appropriate action against the Minister.