Nagpur: What was Balasaheb Thorat doing in a tiger cage? Posing for pictures, it would seem.
Now, Balasaheb Thorat is not a tiger trainer. He is not a wildlife official. He is in fact the Agriculture Minister of Maharashtra. And he was on a visit to Nagpur's Maharajbagh Zoo when he decided to walk into a tiger's cage. Rules don't allow it, but this VIP broke them.
As the tiger cowered, bewildered no doubt by the sudden crowding of its cage, Thorat walked in to pose with the animal for a photo-op and even reached out to caress it. A bunch of party workers followed.
Wildlife activists are enraged at the minister's actions. Kundan Hate, a wildlife activist said: "What happens if the VIP is inside the cage with his security men and the tiger attacks him? Will the security men shoot the tiger? This is wrong. You are entering inside with gunmen, policemen and colleagues. The wildlife protection Act does not permit this."
The zoo in fact comes under the ministry of agriculture and now the zoo officials are running for cover as the demand for action against the minister finds resonance.
There are also those who point out that perhaps the state's agriculture minister could have found some time to meet the farmers battling it out against the severe drought.