New Delhi, Jul 23 (IANS): Congress on Sunday blamed the BJP-led government at the Centre over the death of several cheetahs in the last few months which were translocated under the ‘Project Cheetah’.

“If only science had been put at the forefront of the Cheetah reintroduction project in India rather than ‘vanity and showmanship’, we may not have witnessed the current tragedy. Instead, the Modi government is busy instituting gag orders on scientists and forest officers,” Congress general secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh wrote in a tweet, attacking the ruling dispensation.

Along with the tweet, the Congress MP also posted a link of a media report which higlighted about a recent ‘order’ by the concerned authorities about ‘protocol for dissemination of information’ about Project Cheetah.

He added: “Stephen J. O’ Brien is a distinguished molecular biologist. He is also a dedicated conservationist who uses genetics to protect endangered species. I had spent considerable time with him in 2009 to understand the genetic history of the cheetah. His book makes for fascinating reading.”

The Project Cheetah is being implemented by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a statutory body under Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) in collaboration with Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and Cheetah experts from Namibia and South Africa.