The Rajasthan Forest Department has issued a statewide alert and significantly tightened safety protocols for its field staff. This urgent action comes in the wake of the brutal killing of a forest guard by the illegal mining mafia in Dholpur district.
Forest Guard Succumbs After Deliberate Attack
The victim, forest guard and former Army man Jitendra Singh, was on patrol duty when he was critically injured. He was deliberately run over by a tractor trolley operated by members of the sand mafia. Despite medical treatment, Singh succumbed to his injuries on Friday night at Apex Hospital in Jaipur.
Immediate Directives for Enhanced Security
Following this tragic incident, principal chief conservator of forests Pawan Kumar Upadhyay issued immediate directives to all field officers. The orders mandate increased staff deployment and intensified patrolling, especially in vulnerable forest and protected areas. A key new rule states that no patrol in sensitive areas can be conducted with less than three personnel under any circumstances.
Officers have been instructed to carry out surprise inspections, particularly during night hours, and to keep senior officials informed of all patrol movements in high-risk zones. The department has also emphasized that police support must be sought wherever necessary to ensure staff safety.
Utilizing Technology and Facing Protests
Field units are now directed to make full use of all available resources to curb illegal activities. This includes vehicles, wireless communication systems, drones, and cameras. Forest officials highlighted that frontline staff in sensitive areas frequently confront organized mining and timber mafias, exposing them to constant danger from these aggressive and well-organized criminal networks.
In response to the killing, forest employees across Rajasthan will stage a protest at Aranya Bhawan in Jaipur on January 13. They are demanding better protection for staff. A union member stated that despite long-standing demands for improved safety measures—including providing firearms for self-defence against poachers and mafia groups—these pleas have been ignored, allowing the threat to persist.
The fatal incident in Dholpur has starkly underlined the severe risks faced by forest personnel in their daily duty of protecting the state's natural resources.
