NDTV Impact: High Court Action Over Madhya Pradesh Tiger Deaths, SIT Formed

Madhya Pradesh's image as the world-famous "Tiger State" has come under sharp judicial and administrative scrutiny following an NDTV report that exposed alarming tiger mortality figures in 2025. Acting on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that explicitly cited an NDTV report dated December 16, 2025, the Forest Department has now constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe a spate of unnatural tiger and leopard deaths.

The PIL, filed in the High Court, relied on NDTV's investigation, which revealed that 54 tigers died in Madhya Pradesh in 2025, the highest number recorded since the launch of Project Tiger in 1973. The petition flagged a stark contradiction between official conservation claims and ground realities, particularly in major reserves such as Bandhavgarh, where several deaths were classified as "unnatural."

NDTV's report documented deaths caused by electrocution, poaching, snare traps, suspicious circumstances, and alleged negligence, raising serious questions about forest surveillance, enforcement mechanisms, and accountability within the department. The news report was formally annexed to the PIL as Annexure P-1, making it part of the court record.

Following the High Court proceedings, the Office of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force, Madhya Pradesh, issued an order on January 19, 2026, acknowledging that continuous reports of unusual tiger and leopard deaths over the past two months present an "extremely serious and alarming" situation. The order states that prima facie negligence at some level cannot be ruled out.

The department also noted that a similar SIT was formed in 2024, but the recurrence of deaths indicates that previously identified shortcomings have persisted.

A fresh Special Investigation Team (SIT) has now been constituted to conduct a factual, impartial, and detailed investigation into all tiger and leopard deaths reported in recent months. The team will be chaired by the Conservator of Forests, Shahdol (Territorial) Circle, and includes senior officers from the State Tiger Strike Force, Anuppur Forest Division, and Manjula Srivastava, Advocate and Honorary Wildlife Warden from Katni. The SIT has been directed to investigate each death in detail, fix accountability if negligence by any officer or employee is found and submit practical and preventive recommendations to stop recurrence.

The action comes amid disturbing ground reports. In just one week, six tiger deaths were reported, including the latest case in Bandhavgarh's Chandia forest range, where a carcass was found near a power line, and the reason was suspected electrocution. While official records often attribute deaths to territorial fights, NDTV's analysis showed that 57 per cent of tiger deaths in 2025 were unnatural.

Wildlife activists and experts warn that attributing deaths to "intra-species conflict" masks deeper systemic failures. Past internal forest department reports, accessed by NDTV, revealed incomplete post-mortems, missing forensic analysis, lack of videography, and failure to register prosecution cases, with deaths routinely closed as "natural".

The High Court-triggered SIT marks a critical moment. The question now is whether Madhya Pradesh will protect its tigers beyond slogans or whether accountability will finally follow the roar that NDTV brought to light.