Video: Raveena Tandon's vehicle drives just few feet away from tigress in Satpura Reserve, probe launched

A video shows a safari vehicle reaching close to a tigress during a safari at Satpura Reserve. Following this, a probe has been launched and vehicle driver and the officials on duty will be questioned.

Photo courtesy: Instagram

NEW DELHI: The Satpura Tiger Reserve authorities have started an investigation after a video purportedly showed a vehicle in which Bollywood actor Raveena Tandon was riding driving close to a tigress during a safari. But sources close to the actor said the vehicle did not swerve from the safari track and it was the animal which came close and passed by it. 

The video, which surfaced on social media platforms, showed the safari vehicle reaching close to a tigress. In the clip, camera shutters are heard making sounds and a tigress is seen roaring at them in the reserve located in Madhya Pradesh's Narmadapuram district. 

#bandhavgarh pic.twitter.com/l4ENp4jJ3P

— Raveena Tandon (@TandonRaveena) November 28, 2022

Sub Divisional Officer (SDO) of Forest Dheeraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said following the directives of senior officials, he has started a probe into the alleged incident. He said during Tandon's visit to the reserve on November 22, her vehicle allegedly reached near a tigress. The vehicle driver and the officials on duty there will be served a notice and questioned, the official said. 

The probe report will be submitted to senior officials for further action, he said. Tandon had shared the pictures of her visit to the Satpura Tiger Reserve on her social media handles. She had also shared the pictures of tigers which she clicked during her visit to the reserve.

Late in the evening, sources close to the Bollywood actor said that her Gypsy car was on the safari track and did not try to go near any animals. It was the tigress which walked past the vehicle, and animals passing by vehicles is quite common, they said.

All safari vehicles are licensed jeeps and have forest department-allocated guide and driver, the sources pointed out.