A forest department team from the Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh's Dhamtari district was allegedly attacked and manhandled by villagers during an anti-encroachment operation on Monday. The incident highlights rising tensions over a massive illegal forest land encroachment case uncovered through satellite imagery and drone surveys.
Incident Details
The confrontation took place at Jaitpuri village under Sihawa police station limits when officials from the Udanti-Sitanadi sanctuary arrived to initiate action against alleged encroachers. These individuals are accused of clearing large stretches of protected forest land over the past 15 years.
Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve (USTR) Deputy Director Varun Jain stated that he had gone to the village to arrest several accused named in forest offence cases related to encroachment spanning nearly 106 hectares inside the core wildlife and Mahanadi catchment area.
The situation escalated quickly as villagers gathered in large numbers and allegedly surrounded the forest team. During the confrontation, several officials were pushed, manhandled, and assaulted. Uniforms of forest personnel were torn in the chaos. Videos of the incident surfaced on social media.
Police Intervention
Forest officials managed to escape from the spot and alerted Sihawa police station, following which additional police personnel were rushed to the area. Jain confirmed that the operation was part of action against 166 alleged encroachers identified during a large-scale forest land investigation. Five persons have been arrested so far, and the situation is under control.
Background of Encroachment
This confrontation occurs against the backdrop of a major forest encroachment investigation in the Udanti-Sitanadi landscape. Satellite imagery and drone surveys recently revealed large-scale illegal tree felling and land grabbing inside protected forest areas. Officials estimate that close to one lakh trees were illegally cut to clear land for cultivation.
A recent report indicated that forest density in some affected patches dropped drastically from nearly 1,000 trees per hectare to just 25-50 trees per hectare, indicating extensive clearing activity. Officials stated that separate FIRs related to assault on government servants and obstruction of official duty are likely to be registered in connection with the violence.
