Wildlife Laws Sidelined for BJP Minister’s Son’s Wedding Logistics in Tiger Reserve

Dehradun: Large quantities of wedding materials were brought without authorisation into the ecologically sensitive core zone of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand for the wedding of the son of BJP leader and state Social Welfare Minister Khajan Das. Tents, stage materials, coolers, and generators were transported into the reserve, which is home to tigers, elephants, and leopards.

The wedding ceremony was held on Sunday at a temple located within the tiger reserve. While permission had been granted for the wedding rituals to take place inside the temple, the occasion was used as cover to bring in large quantities of materials into the core zone on Saturday.

After the matter became public and triggered a controversy, the materials were removed. Forest department authorities stated that a case has been registered against the temple committee in connection with the incident.

The minister's explanation was that he was not informed that prior permission would be required for bringing in the tent and other materials, and that the items were brought in due to the heat.