Case registered against timber merchants, lorry owners and drivers
Two forest guards were assaulted and the check post they were manning vandalised by a few timber merchants at the Salem — Yercaud Ghat Road, here on Friday morning.
According to the police, around 6 a.m. on Friday, eight lorries carrying silver oak logs from Yercaud was stopped at the check post and the forest guards, Jayakumar (34) and Sri Ganesh (32), asked the drivers to produce the documents. The drivers, who did not have valid documents, left their vehicles behind to inform their owners.
Later, around 9.30 a.m., more than 30 persons, including lorry owners, drivers and timber merchants, reached the check post and entered into an altercation with the guards. They allegedly assaulted the guards and damaged the properties at the check post. Later they broke the check post’s gate and drove away the lorries.
The guards, who sustained injuries, were admitted to Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital. Yercaud Tahsildar Chandrasekaran, Additional Superintendent of Police Saroj Kumar Tagore and senior forest officials inspected the spot.
N. Thangaraju, District Forest Officer, Salem Division, told The Hindu that this was the second attack on the personnel at the check post and protection has been sought from the police.
Forest officials said that under the Tamil Nadu Hill Areas (Preservation of Trees) Act, 1955, the order for tree cutting has to be obtained from the District Committee, headed by the District Collector. “Only if trees are felled legally, it can be transported. Only the committee is empowered to take action against the violators”, the officials said.
Based on a complaint lodged by forest guard Sri Ganesh, Yercaud police have registered a case against 20 persons, including lorry owners, drivers and timber merchants under Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting with deadly weapon), 294 (b) (uttering obscene words in public place), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharging duty), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and 506 (i) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. Search is on for the accused.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-miscellaneous/forest-guards-attacked-check-post-vandalised/article4445258.ece
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| The Forest Department check-post on Salem – Yercaud Ghat Road that was vandalised in Salem on Friday. PHOTO: P. GOUTHAM |
According to the police, around 6 a.m. on Friday, eight lorries carrying silver oak logs from Yercaud was stopped at the check post and the forest guards, Jayakumar (34) and Sri Ganesh (32), asked the drivers to produce the documents. The drivers, who did not have valid documents, left their vehicles behind to inform their owners.
Later, around 9.30 a.m., more than 30 persons, including lorry owners, drivers and timber merchants, reached the check post and entered into an altercation with the guards. They allegedly assaulted the guards and damaged the properties at the check post. Later they broke the check post’s gate and drove away the lorries.
The guards, who sustained injuries, were admitted to Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital. Yercaud Tahsildar Chandrasekaran, Additional Superintendent of Police Saroj Kumar Tagore and senior forest officials inspected the spot.
N. Thangaraju, District Forest Officer, Salem Division, told The Hindu that this was the second attack on the personnel at the check post and protection has been sought from the police.
Forest officials said that under the Tamil Nadu Hill Areas (Preservation of Trees) Act, 1955, the order for tree cutting has to be obtained from the District Committee, headed by the District Collector. “Only if trees are felled legally, it can be transported. Only the committee is empowered to take action against the violators”, the officials said.
Based on a complaint lodged by forest guard Sri Ganesh, Yercaud police have registered a case against 20 persons, including lorry owners, drivers and timber merchants under Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting with deadly weapon), 294 (b) (uttering obscene words in public place), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharging duty), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and 506 (i) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. Search is on for the accused.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-miscellaneous/forest-guards-attacked-check-post-vandalised/article4445258.ece
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