Bishnoi Community Demands Justice, Stronger Laws After Chinkara Poaching in Jaisalmer

Wildlife enthusiasts and the Bishnoi community staged a four-day protest in Jaisalmer district, demanding justice over the chinkara poaching in Mohangarh canal area in Jaisalmer. Their demonstration began Feb. 3 outside a forest department outpost in Mohangarh town, escalating last Thursday to the Jaisalmer district collectorate office. Protesters highlighted the forest department's inaction regarding the Jan. 23 poaching, despite public outcry.

Former MLA Sang Singh Bhati joined the demonstrators, advocating for their cause. An 11-member delegation departed Sunday for Jaipur to meet Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma. They aim to secure his directive for a high-level investigation committee into the incident and to apprise him of the ongoing protest. Protesters demand stringent punishment for those involved in the poaching and legal action against negligent forest officials. They emphasize the need for robust wildlife protection laws to prevent such future tragedies.

Radheshyam Bishnoi, a wildlife activist said that if their demands are not met then they would jam the highway. The Bishnoi community adheres to Guru Jambheshwar’s set of 29 principles/commandments. The Chinkara and blackbucks are sacred to the Bishnois. They practice what is possibly the world’s only environmentally friendly community, and they recognise the rights of birds, animals, and trees to coexist peacefully with humans.