Rajkumar Patel
Rajkumar Patel, ex-MLA from Melghat, is playing politics with tiger lives. He threatened an “agitation” if forest officials don’t capture a tiger blamed for recent livestock and human attacks. Ten days, he said, or people will “hit the streets.”
This is not leadership. It’s vote-baiting. With elections looming, Patel knows fear delivers support. So instead of backing science and coexistence, he waves the banner of mob anger. Melghat Tiger Reserve holds more than a hundred tigers across dense, hilly terrain. Identifying one individual responsible for four incidents since January requires patience, not deadlines.
Forest officials have already set 45 camera traps and stepped up patrols. They work in dangerous, complex conditions. Patel works microphones. The gap between them could not be wider.
Tigers are territorial, pressured, and pushed to edges by humans. Leaders should calm tensions, not inflame them. Rajkumar Patel demands cages to win votes. What Melghat needs is planning, corridors, and respect—not another politician cashing in on panic. The real enemy is political failure.
The Rajkumar Patel article:
Based on Times of India, India.
Photo via Times of India.
