Burhanpur (Madhya Pradesh): As many as six persons, including a forest staff member sustained injuries after forest encroachers attacked the team that went to remove them from Ghaghrala forests in Madhya Pradesh's Burhanpur district, a police official said on Saturday.
Of these, a forest worker and a villager got injured by arrows while others sustained injuries from stone pelting.
On Saturday morning, the team reached Ghaghrala forests of Nepanagar which is 25 kilometres away from the district headquarters, to remove the encroachers.
After the attack, Burhanpur deputy collector Deepak Singh Chauhan told reporters, "A total of six persons, including the forest staff and a civilian who sustained arrow injuries, were brought to the district hospital. The arrows have been removed from both of them. Primary treatment of the remaining injured in stone pelting has also been done." All the injured are out of danger now, he added.
Earlier in the morning, Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) RP Rai said, "Around 200 encroachers have arrived in the forest in the last three days. We received information that they were carrying country-made bombs and had opened fire to spread fear. The DFO informed the SP and Collector about the matter in writing." In view of it, over 200 forest staff were gathered from different forest circles and around 60 SAF (Special Armed Force) jawans were all set to enter inside the forest and drive them away from the forest, he added.
"I visited the forest on Friday around 8 pm. A few villagers were there, they wanted to protect the forest and wished that the encroachers should be driven away from the forests. The Forest Department and the district administration motive is to remove them without any conflict," he added.
Notably, the cutting down of trees is going on in Ghaghrala forest for a long time and forest encroachers have taken shelter in the forest for the purpose of occupying the forest, they are not allowing anyone to enter the forest.
