A sad approach @ Serampore Rifle Club

[Vassili Zaitsev]

Dear guys, just read the news on the TOI and it broke my heart. I really wish the secretory of the club circulate the strict action against them.
The local people and the club members should come forward to the cause and help the authority to catch the culprits soon..

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city ... 973297.cms

[timmy]

The secretary's admission seals it for me. Even if he did not turn the criminals in, he should at least have turned them out of the club. The sequence of events seem to show that the secretary's biggest concern was that these people were caught.

When people do things like this, I no longer will include them in my calculations as a fellow gun lover and owner.

These people are shameful and only reinforce the public's negative feelings toward us. I say, throw them under the bus without a second thought for them. Seriously, both the shooters and those who knew, but didn't talk, ought to spend time in jail.

Disgusting!

[ckkalyan]

Shooters massacre migratory birds
Subhro Niyogi, TNN | Jan 22, 2015, 03.43AM IST

KOLKATA: Migratory birds that visit wetlands in Bengal during winter have turned into game for shooters. Scores of youths with guns, including members of a rifle club, are flocking to a stretch of Baidyabati Canal, around 40 km from Kolkata, to kill birds perched on trees or in flight, treating them as trap targets.

For birdwatchers, Baidyabati canal has been a paradise for more than a decade and a half. With clear water and no human habitation in the vicinity, it's a natural nesting site for birds. In the past couple of years though, the bird count has been shot to pieces. Several of the shooters are affiliated to Serampore Rifle Club.

"The section of the canal adjacent to Gourangapur village is a hotspot for birds. It is extremely popular among bird watchers who throng there on Sunday mornings. But when I visited on Tuesday, I saw gunmen arriving in cars and bikes to hunt. They brazenly shot birds and then handed over the carcasses to villagers. It was obvious they only wanted to practice shooting and had no interest in consuming the meat," a city-based corporate lawyer and avid birder told TOI.

As word of the massacre spread among the community, other bird watchers began making discreet visits on weekdays. What emerged is shocking. One group of shooters arrives around 9am and shoots till 11.30am and a second one 'practices' between 3pm and 5pm. They avoid Sundays.

Veteran birder Subhankar Patra, who was been visiting the area since 1965, says that while some villagers occasionally killed birds with sling-shots, shooting began around a decade ago and spiked in the past two-three years. "Members of Serampore Rifle Club as well as other youths from well-to-do families indulge in this. I have tried to dissuade them but to no avail. Instead, they rudely tell us 'mind your own business'," said Patra.

Among the birds that have fallen prey include lesser whistling duck, gray-headed lapwing, red wattle lapwing, common snipe, green sandpiper, wood sandpiper, common sandpiper and yellow-footed pigeon. The shooting is scaring off migratory birds — fewer of them visit every year. Terrapins or soft shell turtles are also hunted by locals using a spear-like improvised weapon.

Serampore Rifle Club secretary Jaideep Bandyopadhyay admitted that some members indulge in shooting birds, an act he termed illegal. "Shooting animals and birds was part of the tradition. But it is now illegal to do so. Unfortunately, the practice continues. Some members from Kolkata also indulge in the illegal practice. Though we have never intervened earlier, we will raise the issue during the annual general meeting and urge members not to kill birds," he said.

Birder Bonani Kakkar of PUBLIC has written to Hooghly district magistrate Sanjay Bansal. "I have also spoken to forest officers. I hope the administration takes action," she said.

What a shame! For a start, the Seceretary of Serampore Rifle Club should ban those members involved and revoke their memberships.

[ankur_ank007]

Pathetic.....

[apoorvsinghal]

This is very sad. These kinds of irresponsible acts put the responsible gun owners and gun lovers in poor light before the society and reinforces the anti gun attitude prevailing. I sincerely hope the responsible shooters of the Serampore Rifle Club counsel these people and deter them from indulging in these kinds of act.

[Vassili Zaitsev]

No updates from the Rifle club. I am sure there are few members from the Rifle club in this IFG forum. Please update us on the course of action.

[ckkalyan]

No updates from the Rifle club. I am sure there are few members from the Rifle club in this IFG forum. Please update us on the course of action.

[sourav.koley]

I am a shooter. I am an active member of Serampore Rifle Club. I stay nearby the place where this incident happened. I came to know about this incident when a police officer of Serampore Police Station called me up for a (polite) interrogation. I was shocked. That police officer showed me the TOI and asked for any explanation from my end. The conversation wasn't long. However, I pointed out a few things to that police officer. Here are those points:
1. SRC have a nice and national level shooting range. Why those shooter had to 'practice' in a forest?
2. Those shooters claimed to be the member of SRC. I have seen their photographs in TOI. Being an active member of SRC, I never seen them at SRC premises, ever.
3. Shooters wear shooting jackets and other accessories. Why aren't those shooters wearing any jackets during 'practice'?
4. SRC or not, but every shooters use high precision imported rifles (even me also). Not the local rifles they were using as of TOI photographs.

I know you would say, some SRC members may do this for hunting. I'm telling you, that would not only be ridiculous, but hilarious also. Those rifles in the photographs, those are so low grade product, we don't even imagine of using them. Those people are just poachers, pretended to be member of SRC, so that they don't get beaten by mob. That's all. Ask me any questions, I'll be happy to reply.

[sourav.koley]

Shooters massacre migratory birds
Subhro Niyogi, TNN | Jan 22, 2015, 03.43AM IST

KOLKATA: Migratory birds that visit wetlands in Bengal during winter have turned into game for shooters. Scores of youths with guns, including members of a rifle club, are flocking to a stretch of Baidyabati Canal, around 40 km from Kolkata, to kill birds perched on trees or in flight, treating them as trap targets.

For birdwatchers, Baidyabati canal has been a paradise for more than a decade and a half. With clear water and no human habitation in the vicinity, it's a natural nesting site for birds. In the past couple of years though, the bird count has been shot to pieces. Several of the shooters are affiliated to Serampore Rifle Club.

"The section of the canal adjacent to Gourangapur village is a hotspot for birds. It is extremely popular among bird watchers who throng there on Sunday mornings. But when I visited on Tuesday, I saw gunmen arriving in cars and bikes to hunt. They brazenly shot birds and then handed over the carcasses to villagers. It was obvious they only wanted to practice shooting and had no interest in consuming the meat," a city-based corporate lawyer and avid birder told TOI.

As word of the massacre spread among the community, other bird watchers began making discreet visits on weekdays. What emerged is shocking. One group of shooters arrives around 9am and shoots till 11.30am and a second one 'practices' between 3pm and 5pm. They avoid Sundays.

Veteran birder Subhankar Patra, who was been visiting the area since 1965, says that while some villagers occasionally killed birds with sling-shots, shooting began around a decade ago and spiked in the past two-three years. "Members of Serampore Rifle Club as well as other youths from well-to-do families indulge in this. I have tried to dissuade them but to no avail. Instead, they rudely tell us 'mind your own business'," said Patra.

Among the birds that have fallen prey include lesser whistling duck, gray-headed lapwing, red wattle lapwing, common snipe, green sandpiper, wood sandpiper, common sandpiper and yellow-footed pigeon. The shooting is scaring off migratory birds — fewer of them visit every year. Terrapins or soft shell turtles are also hunted by locals using a spear-like improvised weapon.

Serampore Rifle Club secretary Jaideep Bandyopadhyay admitted that some members indulge in shooting birds, an act he termed illegal. "Shooting animals and birds was part of the tradition. But it is now illegal to do so. Unfortunately, the practice continues. Some members from Kolkata also indulge in the illegal practice. Though we have never intervened earlier, we will raise the issue during the annual general meeting and urge members not to kill birds," he said.

Birder Bonani Kakkar of PUBLIC has written to Hooghly district magistrate Sanjay Bansal. "I have also spoken to forest officers. I hope the administration takes action," she said.

What a shame! For a start, the Seceretary of Serampore Rifle Club should ban those members involved and revoke their memberships.

We doubled checked in our club's register book. No such members are found as of TOI's photographs.

[ckkalyan]

I am a shooter. I am an active member of Serampore Rifle Club. I stay nearby the place where this incident happened. I came to know about this incident when a police officer of Serampore Police Station called me up for a (polite) interrogation. I was shocked. That police officer showed me the TOI and asked for any explanation from my end. The conversation wasn't long. However, I pointed out a few things to that police officer. Here are those points:
1. SRC have a nice and national level shooting range. Why those shooter had to 'practice' in a forest?
2. Those shooters claimed to be the member of SRC. I have seen their photographs in TOI. Being an active member of SRC, I never seen them at SRC premises, ever.
3. Shooters wear shooting jackets and other accessories. Why aren't those shooters wearing any jackets during 'practice'?
4. SRC or not, but every shooters use high precision imported rifles (even me also). Not the local rifles they were using as of TOI photographs.

I know you would say, some SRC members may do this for hunting. I'm telling you, that would not only be ridiculous, but hilarious also. Those rifles in the photographs, those are so low grade product, we don't even imagine of using them. Those people are just poachers, pretended to be member of SRC, so that they don't get beaten by mob. That's all. Ask me any questions, I'll be happy to reply.

Thank you very much sourav.koley for taking the time out to examine the situation, explain and provide your honest feedback!

I really do appreciate the way you are standing up for your club. Thank you again!

[timmy]

Thank you very much sourav.koley for taking the time out to examine the situation, explain and provide your honest feedback!

I really do appreciate the way you are standing up for your club. Thank you again!

I agree with CK. It is good to hear that no members were involved. I apologize for my rush to a hasty judgment of the Serampore Rifle Club membership.

[Hammerhead]

You should write back to the paper "sourav"

That's disgusting behavior on many parts, even if you say they were "Hunting".

[ckkalyan]

Here is an update on the action taken Times of India report

Bird shooting: Cops start probe after forester’s FIR
TNN | Jan 24, 2015, 12.14AM IST

SERAMPORE: Hooghly police on Friday launched an investigation into the shooting of migratory birds at Baidyabati canal following an FIR by the local forest range officer. While police patrolled the canal banks during the day, a team visited Serampore Rifle Club in the afternoon and interrogated secretary Jaideep Bandyopadhyay to identify members who killed migratory birds with rifles to hone their shooting skills.

Stung by the TOI expose, district magistrate Sanjay Bansal asked the forest department to act on the matter immediately. Following the DM's order, forest range officer (Hooghly-Serampore) Chittaranjan Pramanik filed a complaint at Serampore police station on Thursday evening, accusing members of Serampore Rifle Club of violating the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Serampore police converted the complaint letter into an FIR. The complaint states that members of the club violated sections 2, 9, 11, 39, 50 and 51 of Wildlife Protection Act.

Section 2 defines the animals that are granted protection under the act. Section 9 deals with prohibition on killing of wild animals. Section 11 deals with hunting of wild animals in certain cases like Sikara Utsav in Purulia where the DM gives permission. Section 39 states that if any wild animal is hunted, it becomes government property. Section 50 gives forest officers and police the power to arrest offenders and Section 51 deals with penalties like three years' rigorous imprisonment or Rs 25,000 fine or both.

Inspector in charge of Serampore police station Priyabrata Bakshi said police were determined to end the menace. "We won't allow illegal activity. We have started investigating the activities of the rifle club and whether there was tacit approval and even encouragement in shooting of birds at Baidyabati canal. It appears that the club authorities were aware that birds were being shot by its members but did nothing to stop them or alert the police and foresters," he said.

On Thursday, Hooghly SP Sunil Kumar Chowdhury has asked Bhadreshwar OC Anudyuti Majumdar and Serampore PS IC Bakshi to investigate the matter thoroughly and conduct frequent patrolling and raids to nab the culprits.

Baidyabati Municipality chairman Ajoy Pratap Singh conceded that the matter was grave and said the civic authority would do its bit to create awareness against killing of birds. "We will join hands with forest officers and if need be, spend money to improve the environment of the canal that is a hotspot for birds," Singh said.

[aadhaulya]

Good initiative by the Kolkata Police to prevent such incidents in the future. However, no one is going to get prosecuted in this case as there would be no witnesses. Even if there are witnesses there won't be any Forensic evidence.
Here people get away with murder and we are talking about poor little birds hunted for fun.

Regards