The appointment of controversial tiger expert Dr Bilal Habib to the committee formed by forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar to probe tigress T1's killing, has raised questions about the motive of the government among wildlife lovers and activists. On November 9, Forest Department officials had informed reporters that Habib, a representative of the Wildlife Institute of India, would be part of the committee.

'Dr Habib won't speak against FD'
Talking to mid-day, a wildlife lover said, "The state government-appointed committee is an eyewash, because there is no veterinarian and no ballistic or forensic expert in it. What is more shocking is that they have involved Dr Bilal Habib. Everyone knows the controversy around the missing tiger, Jai, which was radio collared by Habib and his team. A National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)-appointed committee on the probe related to Jai had raised several questions about the people involved in tracking and monitoring him. Habib is also working on many projects of the Forest Department (FD) and so he will never speak against it."