A forest beat officer died after he allegedly slipped from a hill path and fell into a gorge while returning home following a forest fire control operation in Uttarkashi, officials said on Thursday.
Incident Details
Sohan Singh Rawat, a beat officer in the Thadung beat of Tons forest division in Purola, was sent to control a forest fire in compartment number 04 on Wednesday evening. He worked alongside resin-tapping laborers from Resin Coup No 2 to bring the flames under control. The fire was contained by evening, and the workers returned to their camp around 7 pm, while Rawat also left for home.
When Rawat did not reach home until late night, his family began searching for him and informed the forest department. A search operation was launched by forest staff, relatives, and villagers in the surrounding forest area. After hours of searching, his body was found near Siroda ravine below Kandar.
Recovery and Response
Officials suspect Rawat slipped on the hilly track while returning after the fire-control operation and fell into the gorge, dying on the spot. Late at night, a forest department team recovered the body and began transporting it to the sub-district hospital in Purola by ambulance. However, after objections from villagers and family members, the body was handed over to his brother Manoj Singh and former village head Prakash following the required inquest formalities.
Tons Deputy Conservator of Forests D P Baluni visited Rawat’s village, met the family, and assured them of all possible assistance from the department. “This is a deeply tragic incident. All officers and staff are shocked by the accident,” Baluni said, adding that the district magistrate and higher authorities had been informed.
Line of Duty
Forest officials stated that Rawat had died in the line of duty, and departmental procedures for assistance to the family would be initiated. The incident highlighted the risks faced by frontline forest personnel during the fire season, when teams often work in steep, remote terrain with limited visibility and difficult access after dark.
