The episode is fast revealing how protectors have turned predators.

The shooting occurred on February 21, during a routine elephant patrol.

“Two persons, Mintu Biswas and Pijush Oraon were arrested on February 24 — last Sunday — in this connection after the meat was recovered from them," said PT Bhutia, Chief Conservator of Forests, North Bengal.

While Biswas is a forest guard, it was contract labourer Oraon who shot the deer. The dissenting voice was that of the mahout of the sanctuary, who spilled the beans.

Sources in the department, however, claimed that the “action” was a cover-up to save senior officials. Poaching of deer, sambar and other animals are frequent and there is a

well-entrenched network of forest staff at work here, they said.

Initial reports claimed that foresters were having a feast with the Sambar meat. The animal's skins and horns fetch good money too and the entire haul was recovered from the homes of nine foresters.

Bhutia denied that there was any “feast”.

“We recovered around 40 kg of meat from them. A part of it was to be used for cooking while the bulk was stacked up to be sold later,” he said. But a section of forest officials said there is more to the incident than meets the eye.

How did a contract labourer get access to a forest department rifle that was used on the animal, they ask.

“Others must be involved and he was the scapegoat,” said an official of the forest staff association.