Forest department orders preliminary inquiry into torture case
Sources have told that 5 forest personnel, including the round officer and forest guard, have been sent on forced leave due to pending preliminary inquiry against them.
Chandrapur: The Forest Department has started a preliminary inquiry into the alleged torture of poaching suspects in Chicholi village of Chandrapur forest area. The source has claimed that an Assistant Conservator of Forests officer is investigating and only after finding facts in the allegations, a departmental inquiry will be initiated.
Sources have told that 5 forest personnel, including the round officer and forest guard, have been sent on forced leave due to pending preliminary inquiry against them.
Durgapur Police has registered an FIR against 2 forest guards for allegedly inhumane torture of 7 suspects by the forest personnel of Chandrapur range. And 6 Dalits and 1 Adivasi, who were detained on charges of poaching, have also accused the forest workers of beating them up and then giving them an electric shock due to the detention.
On the evening of Friday, when the suspects were taken to recover the poaching remains and other evidence, then the whole village turned completely against this forest team. The intervention of police officers helped the forest team leave the village but without the suspects.
Complaint given to superintendent
According to sources, this forest department is in a lot of trouble as no Primary Crime Report (POR) has been registered so far in hunting. And the forest workers have completely failed to recover any flesh or part of the body of the spotted deer, About which he suspected that he had been hunted by electrified wire in the fields of Chicholi.
Durgapur Police has said that this case has been registered against only 2 accused, forest guard Gulab Yadav and Vijay Bhimanwar. And there is also a possibility that if the investigation progresses further, a case may be registered against the forest workers.
The complainants could remember only the names of several forest workers. And in the complaint given to the Superintendent of Police, the names of Forest Guard Gulab, Vijay along RFO Rahul Karekar, and Round Officer Ramesh Kumar Tawade are also named. And On Saturday SP Arvind Salve also visited the Durgapur police station and took full details of the investigation.
Durgapur PSO Swapnil Dhule has said that he has neither added any more accused nor any section in this case. At present, detailed statements are being taken from these complainants. And as this investigation progresses, more accused and charges may be added.
The forest personnel concerned have also been called to the Durgapur police station to record the statement.
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