The death of an alleged teak smuggler in an armed encounter with the forest department in Vidisha has sparked anger among tribal communities and despair among forest dwellers in Madhya Pradesh.
Bhopal,date of issue: September 19, 2022 , Updates: September 9, 2022 20:20 IST
Seized wood from smugglers deposited in Latteri Forest Depot; (Photo: Mujeeb Farooqui)
IIt’s a working day, but the range office of the forest department in Lateri, a town in Madhya Pradesh’s Vidisha district, wears a deserted look. Nearly 20 days after department staff were booked for murder in the death of a youth, things seem to have changed forever. In a mix of low morale and fear – both of the government whose forests it was supposed to protect, and members of the Bhil tribal community to which the deceased youth belonged – range employees have stopped wearing their uniforms. He has also handed over his official guns, refusing to carry them unless the government guarantees him some legal protection.