'National Shame!': killing of tigress blamed for 13 deaths sparks rage among animal lovers

Late last week, the tigress Avni was shot dead in the Yavatmal district of Maharashtra, India, causing an outcry from all around the globe.

As reported by NDTV, Union Minister Maneka Gandhi criticized the BJP-led Maharashtra government and described the killing as a "ghastly murder."

Read more on our Twitter account, @amomama_usa. She vowed to take the matter further and will discuss it with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Gandhi said the shooting of the tiger was not legal because the government didn't be authorization to kill Avni.

She said it is nothing more than a "straight case of crime" because the order to kill Avni was given "despite requests from stakeholders."

Gandhi also described the shooter, Asgar Ali, as a criminal who has killed tigers, leopards, elephants and up to 300 wild boars in Chandrapur, Maharashtra. She added:

"He is a criminal known for supplying guns to anti-nationals and is involved in a suspected case of murder in Hyderabad. I fail to see why a state government should even bother about such a man, let alone hire his services for illegal and inhuman acts."

The government claimed that Avni was only shot as a last resort as "hundreds of forest department personnel" have been trying to capture the tiger, to no avail.

Youth Congress workers have since staged a protest over Avni's death, and member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi, tweeted on Monday:

"The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way the animals are treated. Mahatma Gandhi. [Avni hashtag.]

Koena Mitra, an actor, and former supermodel, also lent her voice to the online debate and said Avni's death was a "national shame." She added:

"[Avni] lost the battle to the most horrible species living on this planet! Ashamed to be a human.We failed. [let Avni live] [Avni] [Avni the tigress]"

A local news agency shared footage of the crowd cheering and celebrating Avni's death, rejoicing after the "man-eater" was killed.