In the FIR lodged at the Nawabganj police station against unknown persons, it was mentioned that a post-mortem on the dolphin was conducted. Killing the Gangetic River Dolphin is a punishable offence under Section 9/51 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the FIR said. The motive behind the crime is not yet known.

On January 2, IFS officer Ramesh Pandey shared photo of the incident and tweeted: “In an unfortunate incident a Gangetic Dolphin got killed by locals in Pratapgarh district of UP. Locals thought the species a ‘Fish’ which may be dangerous for their lives. Wildlife awareness is much needed for conservation.”

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