Bhubaneswar, Jan. 2: Forest officials are trying to arrest 12 people, who allegedly clubbed a hyena to death at Balipatna forest on the outskirts of the city on December 27.

A mob of around 100 people wielding wooden planks and bamboo sticks had chased the animal through an open field and beaten it to death.

The Khurdha district forest division has registered a case under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and is searching for the 12 men, who had instigated the mob to beat the hyena.

"After receiving information, we seized the carcass of the dead hyena. We have sent the carcass for post-mortem and are waiting for the report to ascertain the exact cause of death. We have already registered a case and the instigators will be arrested shortly," said Khurda divisional forest officer Manoj Mohapatra, adding that hyenas never harmed humans.

Forest officials said the villagers had spotted the animal hiding under a bush.

The animal might have strayed out from the nearby Bhanra forest and it ventured into the open field after spotting the dead animal, said a forest official, adding that the hyena was protected under Schedule-III of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

The matter came to light after a video of the assault had been shot by a villager. The clip was later circulated in various media.

In January 2011, a mob had killed a leopard at Gandarpur village in Khurda district. The mob chased and beat up the leopard after it had attacked two local youths. The mob started attacking the leopard despite warning by forest officials, who rushed to the spot after getting the information.

In November last year, panic gripped the Palasuni area of the city in Mancheswar police limits after a hyena had been spotted there. Though the hyena did not harm anyone, two people suffered minor injuries when many started running away from the animal.

"The hyena is a nocturnal animal, and it did not come out during the day. It is not a hunter by nature but a scavenger. So, people should not get worried if they spot a hyena in a residential area. They should inform the forest officials to rescue the animal," said a forest official.

Tapas check-up

Trinamul MP Tapas Paul, arrested for his alleged involvement in the Rose Valley Group deposit-collection scam case, underwent a health check up at the psychiatry ward of Capital Hospital here this evening. Earlier in the day, Paul had undergone similar checkups in cardiology, neurology and ophthalmology departments of the hospital in the morning after he complained of health problems, sources said. Paul is on a three-day remand of the CBI, which is probing into the sham deposit collection scam.

"We have examined Paul. He has epilepsy and diabetes. But, he is fit to face interrogation by the CBI," Dr Prasant Mohanty, head of psychiatric department in the hospital, said.

Paul had yesterday accused Union minister Babul Supriyo of being involved in the deposit collection firm's money laundering scam. He also alleged that Supriyo had implicated him in the case.

"I am innocent. I am in no way involved in the scam and the truth will come to the fore soon. I have taken the name of Babul Supriyo and names of some other persons (before CBI). The truth will come out," Pal had told reporters.

Supriyo, reacting to this through his verified Twitter handle, @SuPriyoBabul, rubbished the allegations.