MP News: Son Seeks Action Against Father Over Alleged Extraction Of Oil From Peacock Eggs In Morena

Morena (Madhya Pradesh): A 35-year-old man has been approaching government offices for the past 10 years seeking legal action against his father, alleging that about a decade ago the latter brought eggs of the national bird—the peacock—from a forest, cooked them, and extracted oil from them to prepare a remedy for his ailing son.

Dinesh Rathore, a resident of Salampura, Ward No. 19 in Morena, has levelled serious allegations against his father, Ramkishan Rathore. Dinesh claims that about 10 years ago, his father brought approximately 10 peacock eggs from the forest, cooked them, and extracted oil from them. According to Dinesh, at that time, his younger brother, Sonu, was suffering from a debilitating illness. His father prepared a medicinal remedy using the oil extracted from the eggs and had his brother massaged with it.

Dinesh asserts that the peacock is the country's national bird, and bringing its eggs from the forest—as well as cooking and utilising them—constitutes a crime under the Wildlife Protection Act.

Consequently, he has demanded legal action against his father and his stepmother, Guddi, who performed the massage. Dinesh stated that he had informed the police at the time of the incident; subsequently, a team from the Forest Department also arrived at the scene, and Ramkishan Rathore was summoned to the police station for questioning. However, no concrete action was taken thereafter.

Dinesh alleges that the matter was hushed up through bribery. About a year ago, acting on the directives of the Superintendent of Police, the Kotwali police conducted an investigation into the case. The investigation report stated that the complainant failed to produce any concrete evidence to substantiate his allegations. Furthermore, it came to light that a dispute regarding the partition of land between the father and son is currently pending in court, leading to the suggestion that the complaint may have been filed out of malice.