Madhya Pradesh Congress on Tuesday claimed the deaths of ten elephants in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) were "killings by the government" and demanded the resignation of state Forest Minister Ramniwas Rawat.

Former chief minister Kamal Nath launched a scathing attack on the state government, demanding that it recommend a CBI or judicial probe into the deaths.

On October 29, four wild elephants were found dead in Sankhani and Bakeli under the Khalil range of the BTR in Umaria district, while four died on October 30 and two on October 31.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has suspended two senior officials of the BTR for lapses after a high-level probe team submitted its reports in connection with the deaths.

Talking to reporters, state Congress president Jitu Patwari alleged, "The deaths of ten elephants was not an accident. They were poisoned. Who poisoned them is a matter of investigation, but the government and forest department are the culprits. These are government killings." He further claimed that several elephant deaths were not made public.

"This government passes a budget for wild animals but indulges in corruption. About 140 tigers have died in Madhya Pradesh in the past three years. It is a big number," Patwari said.

He said while the government spent Rs 5,000 crore to bring cheetahs, tigers, which are the state's pride, are dying.

"The government only punishes employees, which is injustice. It should take the resignation of state Forest Minister Ramniwas Rawat, holding him responsible. He (Rawat) is caught up in the election while elephants are getting killed. This is the BJP's hypocrisy," he said.

Rawat is the BJP's candidate for the Vijaypur assembly bypoll scheduled later this month. A former Congress MLA, he joined the saffron party earlier this year and was appointed the forest minister.

Patwari said either the chief minister should take Rawat's resignation or the voters of Vijaypur will remove him in the November 13 by-election.

Taking to X, senior Congress leader Nath said, "It has been almost a week since the death of ten elephants in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, but the Madhya Pradesh government has not been able to clarify the cause of death, let alone catch the culprits." He said wild animals are in danger, and the state forest department is incapable of protecting them.

He claimed that the investigating agencies of the state are either inefficient or they don't have the facilities to properly investigate the deaths.

"In such a situation, I appeal to Chief Minister Mohan Yadav ji to either order a CBI inquiry or a judicial inquiry into the deaths of ten elephants. Due to the lack of a fair investigation, wild animals will remain in danger, and whoever is behind this will feel safe. They will dare to repeat such crimes," Nath wrote.

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