Excelsior Correspondent
RAMBAN, Aug 10: Three rangers were among 18 persons received injuries during anti-encroachment drive in Compartment 12 at village Rakhjarog in Batote, here today.
However, 13 persons including a Panch have been booked for attacking the team comprising of sleuths from Forest and Police Departments.
As per police sources, acting over the information that some inhabitants of village Rakhjarog have illegally entered upon reserved forest land in Compartment 12 of Batote and are raising illegal construction during odd hours, a joint team from Forest Department led by 3 rangers and assisted by police cops went to the area to conduct anti-encroachment drive and retrieve the grabbed forest land.
The team reached the spot and started demolishing the structures raised by Mukhtiyar Ahmed, son of Nizam Din of Rakhjarog, sources said, adding that in the meantime, Mukhtiyar Ahmed along with his associates including females with the sole aim to interrupt the team members for discharging their legitimate Government duties, resorted to stone pelting.
In the stone pelting, 3 Forest Rangers, 8 Forest Guards and 7 police personnel including a lady cop received injuries, sources said, adding that the accused persons also snatched some personal belongings of the team members during the manhandling.
Later, the stone pelters escaped from the spot.
However, the injured persons were shifted to Sub District Hospital (SDH) Batote and were later discharged after treatment.
The injured personnel of Forest Department were identified as Surinder Singh Chib, Range Officer Batote, Harveer Singh, Range Officer Marmat, Angraj Singh, Range Officer Soil, Surinder Thakur, Block Officer Batote Block, Ravi Mohan, Muzaffer Ahmed Naik, Bushan Kumar and Rajesh Kumar, Forest Guards, Gurnam Singh, FPF Guard, Puran Chand and Shoket Ali, Helpers.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Forest Division Batote Kuldeep Singh told the EXCELSIOR that as soon as the team started the anti-encroachment drive, Mukhtiyar Ahmed along with his associates including females started stone pelting, in which 18 persons including 3 Forest Rangers, 8 Forest Guards and 7 police personnel received injuries. All the injured were shifted to hospital for treatment.
However, on the complaint of DFO Forest Division Batote, a case under relevant sections has been registered at Batote Police Station against 13 persons identified as Khamid, son of Mohammad Shafi, Mukhtiyar Ahmed, son of Nizam Din, Akhtar Hussain, son of Nizam Din, Wahid, son of Nizam Din, Shahid, son of Mohammad Amin, Reshma, wife of Javaid, Javaid, son of Yousuf, Rafiq, son of Nizam Din, Panch Shafi, Adris, son of Nizam Din, Haroon, son of Nizam Din, Shaida Begum, daughter of Nizam Din and Mahroofa, wife of Akhtar, all residents of village Rakhjarog.
Further investigation into the case is going on.
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