UP Man Who Rescued Sarus Crane Booked, Gets Notice From Forest Department

Arif Khan Gurjar, who rescued a Sarus crane and looked after it for a year has been issued a notice by Forest Department to appear at Gauriganj divisional forest officer on April 4.

New Delhi: Arif Khan Gurjar, who rescued and took care of a Sarus crane for a year has now been booked by the Forest Department which has issued a notice against him, said an official on Sunday. As per a report by news agency PTI, the department issued a notice to Gurjar on Saturday asking him to appear at the office of the Gauriganj divisional forest officer on April 4 to record his statement.

The crane, which lived with Gurjar in the Mandkha village of Amethi district, accompanied him to his fields and was accepted "like a family member", was taken away by Forest department officials on March 21.

As per an officer the bird was shifted to the Samaspur sanctuary in Rae Bareilly to live in its natural environment. 

According to the notice issued by the Assistant Divisional Forest Officer (Gauriganj) Ranvir Singh, Gurjar has been booked under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act.

A day after the duo was separated from each other, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav held a press conference where he condemned the forest department’s action and asked indirectly if any official had the courage to take away the peacocks at the prime minister's residence.

Gurjar was also present during the press conference with the former chief minister but did not speak. 

Earlier, the SP supremo had visited Gurjar after he gained fame due to his "friendship" with the bird. He had also shared pictures of himself with the bird and Gurjar on social media.

Responding to the allegations by Yadav, Divisional Forest Officer DN Singh had said, "Whatever action has been taken is with Arif's (Gurjar) consent." The official said these birds always live in pairs. Since this one was living alone, there was some apprehension about its wellbeing.

On Thursday, the SP chief had alleged that the crane had gone missing before being rescued by some local residents. The claim was, however, denied by Forest officials.