As the death of tigress Avni in Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district last week continues to create a furore, Maharashtra Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar has sought to counter the allegations made by Union Minister Maneka Gandhi, who has called the tigress’ death “nothing but a straight case of crime”.

In an interview with The Quint, Mungantiwar pointed out that with regard to the incident, all procedures were legally carried out as per the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NCTA) guidelines.

The 'man-eating' tigress, Avni, (officially known as T1), said to be responsible for 14 deaths in Maharashtra's Yavatmal, was shot dead on the night 2 November after a massive operation spanning two months.