According to eyewitnesses, a Forest department team raided the house of Rakesh Adhikaari of Kunjaval village on Wednesday and tried to take him away for allegedly hunting down a blue bull (nilgai).
When his wife Seema, 22, who was six months pregnant, tried to intervene, she was kicked. This resulted in immediate miscarriage.
It is alleged that the forest officials left the woman lying unconscious in a pool of blood and took her husband away.
However, in a release, Panna Tiger Reserve officials refuted the allegations. “The team did not misbehave with the woman in any way. She had been suffering from pregnancy-related complications for some time and the miscarriage occurred due to shock and not any kind of physical altercation or scuffle,” Field Director, Panna Tiger Reserve, R. S. Murthy told The Hindu.
“The team recovered blue bull meat and hide from the house. The villagers are basically using this opportunity to get back at us because our strict watch has scuttled poaching which is their livelihood,” he said.
“We demand a magisterial inquiry to bring out the truth.”
Seema was rushed to the district hospital by her neighbours from where, she was referred to Jabalpur. Eyewitnesses said with her husband in custody, there was nobody to accompany her to Jabalpur.
“We have registered a case against unnamed Forest department employees and will be able to say anything only after investigations are completed,” Panna district Superintendent of Police said.