THE Union ministry for environment and forests held an independent probe into the controversial dinner hosted by the Telugu Desam Party members near Hyderabad. According to the findings, meat of wild animals is commonly served in some areas of Andhra Pradesh. This particular dinner was organised to celebrate state irrigation minister Tummala Nageshwara Rao's three years in office.

Officials in the ministry say that the Union ministry is planning to initiate action once the detailed report is available. But according to the representa- tives of the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), it will be difficult to prosecute the culprits as the state government may protect the accused. Valmik Thapar, a wildlife expert, says that this particular case is different from the Rajasthan case. There the Bishnoi community initiated action against the filmstars who killed the blackbucks. In this case, the state itself is involved, he said.