Mumbai: Forest minister Ganesh Naik on Wednesday told the Legislative Assembly that the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, does not provide for deliberately releasing domestic animals into the habitat of wild animals and providing them with food. Naik said there is no scientific or legal basis that simply providing artificial food will completely stop human-wildlife conflict. Naik said there are provisions regarding the protection, management and habitat conservation of wild animals under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Naik was replying to questions raised by MLA Shirish Kumar Naik. In Dec 2205, Naik had announced a plan to address the rise in leopard attacks on humans in the state: releasing goats into forests to prevent the animals from entering human settlements in search of prey. Naik had made the statement during a calling attention motion on leopard attacks, which was discussed at the legislature’s Winter Session in Nagpur. Shirish Kumar Naik had asked if forest department officials have been ordered to release 1 crore goats and sheep in leopard-dominated areas in the state to prevent leopards from entering human settlements and if a scheme of buying goats and sheep and releasing them into the forest is permanently viable. “Section 9 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 prohibits hunting of scheduled wild animals. Also, artificial interference with the natural behavior of wild animals is not in keeping with the basic principles..The behavior of wild animals depends on many factors. Habitat disturbance, prey availability, human interference, etc. There is no scientific or legal basis that simply providing artificial food will completely stop human-wildlife conflict,” Ganesh Naik said. “Under Section 11, if there is a serious threat to human life, capture/relocation may be ordered by the competent authorities. Capturing leopards through trained teams and releasing them into their natural habitats as appropriate. Habitat improvement, natural prey enhancement. Public awareness, emergency response teams..Procedures for providing immediate financial assistance to victims, etc. All the above measures are implemented within the framework of the law and in accordance with the guidelines of the central govt,” Ganesh Naik said in his written reply.“If four people are killed in leopard attacks, the state govt has to pay Rs 1 crore in compensation. So, instead of paying compensation after deaths, I told officials to release goats worth Rs 1 crore into the forest so that leopards do not venture into human habitats,” Naik said.

CHENNAI: A gang of at least 10 men harassed a Class X girl when she was returning home after her public examination, threatened her brother when he stood up to them, followed the girl till her home and ransacked the house and damaged vehicles in Tiruttani on Monday.The gang, armed with hammers and logs, smashed window panes of the victim’s house and also other houses in Veeraganallur village. They pelted stones, damaged ceiling fans in several houses, and damaged motorcycles and autorickshaws parked in front of homes, creating panic among residents. Before the villagers could catch them, the miscreants escaped. The unruly group, which came on bikes, also performed dangerous stunts, alarming bystanders.Based on a complaint from residents, Tiruttani police registered a case and arrested five youths—Kishore, 22, Arunkumar, 19, Vijay, 26, Pargunam, 19, and Meganathan, 26, all from VCR Kandigai village. Efforts are underway to trace the remaining five, who are currently absconding. According to police, the Class X student from a govt high school in Amirthapuram travelled by bus to Veeraganallur on Monday afternoon. Her brother later picked her up on a motorcycle to take her home. While they were crossing a forested stretch, some youths made inappropriate comments and made a ruckus. The girl’s brother warned them before taking her away.

After the ruckus created by the gang, more than 100 villagers gathered and held a road blockade on the Tiruttani-RK Pet state highway, demanding the immediate arrest of the miscreants. Traffic was disrupted for nearly an hour due to the protest.After receiving information, a police team rushed to the spot and held talks with the protesters. Following negotiations, the villagers withdrew the blockade.

NEW DELHI: Movie star Rajnikanth on Tuseday expressed “gratitude to everyone” who condemned a TVK leader’s “slanderous remarks” claiming that the actor didn’t join politics as the ruling DMK family “threatened” him when he tried to enter politics.Thanking the film fraternity, his friends and fans, the actor said: “Time doesn’t speak, but it waits and gives the answer”.

“I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who condemned his slanderous remarks and raised their voices in support of me: the Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, Edappadi Palaniswami; Tamil Nadu BJP President Nainar Nagendran; Union Minister L. Murugan; Tamil Nadu Minister Raghupathy; Thol. Thirumavalavan; S.P. Velumani; my friend Annamalai; Arjunamurthy; Anbumani Ramadoss; G.K. Vasan. John Pandian; Pugazhendhi; and various other political leaders from different parties,” Rajnikanth posted on X. He further said: “I also extend my sincere thanks to Ameer, G. Dhananjayan, and my friends from the film fraternity; to Nakkeeran Gopal, Rangaraj Pandey (Chanakyaa), and members of the media; and, above all, to my fans—whom I revere as deities—for sustaining and uplifting me. Time doesn’t speak, but it waits and gives the answer.”

What was the remark?

TVK functionary Aadhav Arjuna had alleged that the DMK family threatened actor Rajinikanth when he tried to enter politics. Arjuna said he was not criticising Rajinikanth but added that Vijay had the courage to withstand such pressure.TVK organised protests at district headquarters across Tamil Nadu on Thursday, accusing the state government of failing to maintain law and order. A protest was held in Chennai, in which TVK functionaries N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna and Arun Raj participated.Speaking at the protest, Arjuna said after MGR, Rajinikanth was one of the most popular actors who intended to enter politics. He said Rajinikanth wanted to enter Tamil Nadu politics and change the system. “However, the DMK family issued several threats to Rajinikanth and prevented him from entering politics. See what happened now… At the end, he went on to act in a film produced by Red Giant,” he said.Arjuna added that there was no criticism of Rajinikanth personally. However, he said Vijay had the mental strength to enter politics despite such threats. “Even when personal criticism was directed at Vijay, he did not remain silent at home in fear.”

Remark draws criticism from all quarters

Arjuna’s remarks drew criticism from several quarters, particularly from Rajinikanth’s fans. “Rajinikanth is not someone who fears threats — everyone knows that. At a time when the coronavirus was spreading severely, he stepped away from politics considering the infection risk that gatherings could pose to the public and to avoid loss of lives due to the virus,” said S Ravi, one of his fan club members in Sholingur. “Not everyone who gathers crowds can become a leader,” he added.AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palansiwami and BJP Tamil Nadu president Nainar Nagenthran on Monday condemned remarks by TVK general secretary Aadhav Arjuna that actor Rajinikanth dropped his plans to launch political party due to threat from DMK. BJP has demanded an apology from Aadhav Arjuna.“Superstar Rajinikanth commands immense respect across spectrum for his abilities and talent.A TVK party functionary’s attack on such a personality is unacceptable,” EPS said in an X post. “Entering politics is one’s right, as is staying out.He (Rajinikanth) cited valid reasons for staying out. Respect that choice; politicising it is political incivility,” EPS said. EPS added that the actor earned MGR’s love and J Jayalalithaa’s respect. The statement comes four days after Aadhav made the remark that unlike Rajinikanth, Vijay withstood pressure and launched a party.In a post on X, Nagenthran said Rajinikanth, who completed more than five decades in cinema, is respected across political and social spheres and enjoys the affection of people cutting across caste, religion and language. “It is unacceptable for Mr Aadhav Arjuna to speak wrongly about such a dignified personality in public,” he said.Nagenthran recollected that Rajinikanth had received honours including Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan. He said the actor also enjoyed respect of national leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Nagenthran urged TVK president Vijay to intervene. “The leader of that party should condemn such remarks and advise him not to engage in such actions,” he said. Last week, Aadhav Arjuna alleged that actor Rajinikanth faced pressure from DMK when he attempted to enter politics and suggested that such intimidation discouraged him from pursuing a political career.He said unlike Rajinikanth, TVK president Vijay showed the resolve to withstand such pressure. The remarks drew reactions from political leaders and sections of Rajinikanth’s supporters. His fan clubs in Madurai announced that they will contest against Aadhav in the 2026 polls to defeat him and show Rajini’s strength.

The ongoing immigration diatribe aimed at Indian-Americans and Hindus has found a fresh flashpoint online in a recent X post. A self-described nationalist account recently took to the social media app to rant about another ‘massive’ Hindu temple rising in Dallas. They claimed the temple was the ’18th’ temple in the Dallas-Fort Worth area alone and added that the flood ‘never stops’, alleging a growing cultural shift. “Temples everywhere, neighbourhoods transformed, schools completely changed, culture erased. This isn’t random. It’s 100% coordinated,” wrote the account that goes by Info Battle Maiden.