Two letters dating back to January 2013, released to the media with both bearing the signature and one bearing the letterhead of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) SS Sharma's office have caused a stir in the State. One of these letters is purportedly written by notorious big cat poacher Dariya Bawaria to Sharma citing a visit to the home of the PCCF for pleading innocence in a tiger poaching case in Corbett Tiger Reserve. The other letter has been written and signed apparently by Sharma to the Corbett director citing Dariya’s visit to his home and the belief that he might be innocent. This letter further asks the Corbett director to extract available information from Dariya and act with sympathy towards him. However, Sharma has outrightly denied this.
The copies of the two letters were provided to The Pioneer by PFA Uttarakhand member secretary Gauri Maulekhi. In the letter purportedly written by Dariya to Sharma, the poacher had stated, “I along with my family have been living in Ramnagar since February 2012. I and my friends have made temporary huts on the banks of Kosi river near Gularghati and sell blankets and other items. Corbett officials have been harassing me stating that I was involved in poaching a tiger at Bijrani zone in May 2012 with the help of Riyasat alias Malkhan,” he states while also citing various past cases in various states accusing the Forest Department officials of those states of framing him in poaching cases. Further stating that the Corbett officials were trying to frame him in the Bijrani poaching case, Dariya writes that he and his wife have come to Sharma’s residence seeking protection, while adding that they are ready to turn Government witnesses. The letter (number 257/6-37) purportedly written by Sharma to the Corbett director on January 23, 2013 states that based on the conversation with Dariya it seems that he is innocent. The letter asks the Corbett director to extract available information from Dariya and consider his case sympathetically. The PCCF told The Pioneer: “This is wrong”, without saying more. Maulekhi said, “This is proof of his corruption and attempts to suppress cases of poaching revealed through various agencies. It seems suspicious now that the Principal Secretary Forest is not keen on taking cognisance of them. His actions have been questioned repeatedly, but all that the State has done is to ask him to recommend action, if any, against himself,” she said. Wildlife Protection Society of India, Uttarakhand in-charge Rajendra Agarwal said the letters should be verified to check their authenticity.