Jhajjar police tries to set record straight

Consider this: Jhajjar SSP Haneef Qureshi says the post-mortem proves the black buck died of haemorrhage and had no bullet injuries. “The black buck has a slit in the throat and its trachea and jugular vein were cut,” he said.

The two hares had a bullet injury each, but none of the bullets have been found. “However, the bullet injuries suggested that the shots had been fired from a .22 bore gun, the kind of which was recovered from Pataudi,” Qureshi says. Jhajjar Police is yet to receive the forensic report.

The SSP says the double-barrel gun belonged to Shashi Singh, but the ownership of the .22 bore gun is yet to be established. “The weapon itself is not illegal since it was sold from a licensed shop. What we are trying to find out is whose name is it licensed in. If no licence is found, a case under the Arms Act may also be registered against Pataudi,” Qureshi said.

The SSP also defended the police’s action, saying, “The accused were not arrested on the night of June 3 because the identity of the animal could not be confirmed. A black buck is white in colour at times and is not easily identifiable…If we wanted to let them off, why did the constables take them to the police station?”

Qureshi said Forest Department officials were informed the next morning and a panel was set up to conduct the post-mortem. “The skin of the animals was burnt so that it could not be reused,” he said.

“It was only after all this that Naresh Qadian, without informing police or wildlife officials, exhumed the bodies,” the SSP said.