Nurpur Bedi, August 10
A team of the Forest Department of Ropar has paid dearly for catching a haul of 50 quintals of timber from Khad Bathlaur village in the Nurpur Bedi area. Alleged timber mafia gangsters not only attacked the team, but also kidnapped forest block officer Sher Singh.
Last evening, the DDPO, Roopnagar, informed division forest officer Amit Misra that some persons were illegally felling trees at Khad Batlaur village. Misra constituted a team, including forest range officer of Ropar Guramanpreet Singh Bains, forest range officer of Nurpur Bedi Rajinder Singh, block officer Sher Singh and forest guard Jatinder Singh, Gurpal Singh and Manjeet Singh.
The team conducted raids at Khad Bathlaur village and seized 50 quintals of timber loaded in a Mahindra Maxi vehicle parked at the house of former village sarpanch Prakash Chand. At
around 8 pm, the vehicle was impounded. However, it’s driver Charanjit Singh, a resident of the same village, escaped.
In the presence of sarpanch of Khad Bathlaur (Upper) village Surinder Kaur, watchman Lal Chand and other persons, the team directed villagers to ensure that the truck reached the office of the DFO, Ropar, by 9 am on Sunday.
“We did not have keys of the vehicle. So, we decided to let the truck be parked at the house and informed some responsible persons of the village about the seizure,” said an official.
When the team was returning to Ropar at around 10:45 pm, a group of 15 or 20 persons attacked the team with sharp-edged weapons and batons. Nurpur Bedi forest range officer Rajinder Singh, who was riding a motor cycle, was hit first.
Rajinder, a heart patient, sustained injuries on nose, lips and legs. Other team members escaped and hid in the nearby fields.
The attackers kidnapped block officer Sher Singh. Bains informed DFO Amit Misra about the incident over the phone.
Misra reported the matter to the police and the SHO of the Nurpur Bedi police station reached the spot along with forest officials for identification of the attackers. The officials identified six of the attackers, including former sarpanch Prakash Chand, Ballam Singh, Mahinder Singh, Raj Kumar, Mohan Singh, Sohan Singh, Sohan Lal, Balvir Singh and Surjit Singh Kalu.
Rajinder was taken to the Singhpur government hospital.
Meanwhile, kidnapped employee Sher Singh was reported to have been dropped at Nurpur Bedi bus stand this evening.
