Indian officials 'ate protected birds'

Rare meat: Wigeons were allegedly on the menu

Nageshwar Patnaik BBC reporter in Bhubaneshwar

Indian conservationists have accused senior figures in eastern Orissa state of eating protected birds served up at a club dinner.

I sincerely hope the government will not hesitate to punish the guilty however highly placed he may be

Conservationist Biswajit Mohanty

The conservationists said at least 100 migratory birds were procured for a senior civil servant's birthday party in the state capital, Bhubaneshwar.

The birds included gadwalls, shovellers, wigeons, pochards and pintails.

Orissa co-ordinator of the Indian Bird Conservation Network, Biswajit Mohanty, has sent a written complaint to Orissa's chief minister.

Senior government officials and prominent businessmen were allegedly among the nearly 70 guests at the party on 17 January.

Club manager Sanjib Pati denied that migratory birds were part of the menu at the dinner party.

'Abominable'

But Mr Mohanty alleged that the birds, procured from poachers working at Chilika lake, were covered by the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.

The birds were covered by the Wildlife Protection Act

Mr Mohanty has demanded an independent inquiry to identify the host and guests and initiate action against them for what he called an ''abominable incident''.

As the people involved were high-ranking officials likely to exert either undue influence or sabotage, the matter should be handed over to a central government agency, Mr Mohanty's letter of complaint said.

''I sincerely hope the government will not hesitate to punish the guilty however highly placed he may be in society," it said.

Bhubaneshwar club has mainly civil servants, police officers, senior government officials and influential businessmen as members.

The allegations coincide with growing incidents of poaching in Chilika, a wetland of international importance.