On Thursday, as many as 250 employees of the state forest department posted in and around Gir forest went on leave en masse in protest of suspension of two officers of Talala range. The protesting employees claimed the suspensions were unjustified and should be revoked, therefore.
The employees assembled outside the office of chief conservator of forests (CCF) of Junagadh wildlife circle in Junagadh and sat on dharna throughout the day. Later in the evening, their representatives met the CCF and demanded that suspension of Talala RFO PT Kaneriya and Talala forester Manu Bharwad be revoked.
Beat guards, foresters and some range forest officers (RFOs) of Gir (east), Gir (west), Sasan wildlife division, Junagadh forest division, Porbandar forest division etc went on leave for one day.
“The Talala RFO and forester were merely exercising power conferred on them by the Forest (Conservation) Act while arresting a man who had entered the forest area illegally. They cannot be suspended for discharging their duties. Therefore, we feel the suspension is unreasonable and should be revoked. Let there be a departmental inquiry and let police also conduct an impartial investigation in the matter,” Mahavirsinh Sodha, vice president of Gujarat Rajya Vanrakshak Karmachari Mandal (GRVKM) or Gujarat state forest employees association said, reported Indian Express.
“We all employees of the forest department are against the suspension and to convey this to higher authorities, more than 250 of us are mass leave for a day,” Sodha said.
Notably, Kaneriya and Bharwad were suspended on Tuesday after Talal police booked them for allegedly restricting one Bharat Patel unlawfully and also robbing him of Rs 50,000 cash. Officers of Talala range in Gir (west) Forest Division had arrested Patel, a farmer of Hadmatiya village in Talala taluka of Gir Somnath district fore allegedly entering forest area without permission on April 29.
After Patel was released, he consumed poison and attempted suicide alleging harassment from forest officers. Based on a complaint filed by Patel’s brother, Talal police had booked Kaneriya, Bharwad, a bit guard and a lion tracker for robbery, unlawful confinement and criminal intimidation. After the Talala police launched the FIR, Kaneriya and Bharwad were suspended the same day for an indefinite period and transferred with immediate effect.
The GRVKM vice-president further said that their protest will continue of the suspensions were not revoked soon.
