Mumbai: The mysterious case of tigress Avni fell flat on Thursday, after the Maharashtra government declared the case closed.

Avni, also known as T1, was killed or rather believed to have been murdered, by sharp-shooter Shafath Ali Khan's son, Asghar Ali Khan, who had no prior expertise or qualification in the field. However, he still seemed to be the perfect pick by the Maharashtra forest officials to pin down Avni, who was blamed for the death of 13 humans.

Protests blew up around the country, after the sudden 'planned' death of the tigress, with several wildlife activists and experts crying foul. While this was done in an attempt to seek justice for T1, who was survived by two cubs, it all comes to a nought now, with the Maharashtra government abruptly closing the case.

The latest letter released by the Maharashtra government, dated January 30, 2019, states that the case was investigated, resolved and therefore closed. Loopholes, such as the killers having personal motive and tranquilising the tigress with intent to kill, have been pointed out earlier, only to be conveniently ignored by authorities during the investigation.

The father-son duo, who take pride in having killed the tigress, justify their stance stating that it was a close save for the locals living in fear at the Yavatmal district, but here’s where another loophole creeps in. 

Out of the 13 killings that were attributed to T1, only five bodies were found with the DNA of the tigress. Adding to this, forest department officials and biologists clarified that apart from Avni, there was another male tiger in the same territory, whose DNA was also found in one of the bodies.

Tigress Avni’s death was an unfair decision, to say the least, allowed to be taken by unauthorised goons. The result? The case gets closed, shutting off the uproar of activists and complaints filed in multiple parts of the country. It proves once again why citizens of this country have lost faith in the system, where the voice for voiceless remains unheard.