The Karnataka State Forest Guards and Forest Watchers Association has complained against Suresh Gowda, Nagamangala MLA, who abused field staff engaged in evicting encroachment.
The incident took place at Halthi village in Nagamangala Range Forest in Mandya district on Thursday and Mr. Suresh Gowda not only abused the field staff in foul language but intimidated and threatened them of dire consequences.
The video of the MLA abusing the forest staff is being widely shared on social media and has invited rebuke from environmental and wildlife activists. The Association has written to senior officials of taking recourse to agitation if no legal action was initiated against the MLA.
Referring to the Thursday’s incident the Association said that not only did the MLA abuse the field staff but instigated the people to set the forest department vehicles on fire. A local range forest officer who headed a team to clear the encroachment was addressed in singular and the video shows the MLA ordering the officer to ‘’not step into the place unless a joint survey was conducted’’.
The land in question is deemed forest and the government, through a gazette notification transferred 374 acres to the forest department, recently. But, the MLA argued that the land continues to be depicted as Gomal Land in records and hence the ownership was vested with the Revenue Department and not the forest department.
The association members said that the field staff are subjected to intimidation especially during human-animal conflict situation or when they try to clear forest encroachment or restrain people from felling trees planted on forest land. ‘’What is perturbing is that such incidents are on the rise and senior officials in the hierarchy behave as it does not concern them,’’ said a member of the association who did not want to be named.
