Rajkot: Police have added charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against five individuals, including two forest department employees, for large-scale illegal felling of trees in a protected forest area in Bhavnagar district that forms part of a key lion corridor. The accused were initially booked under the Indian Forest Act and the Wildlife (Protection) Act for allegedly cutting down 1,700 trees from the Nani Rajasthali vidi (reserved forest). Now, police have added charges of criminal trespass, criminal breach of trust, criminal conspiracy, and related offences.
Details of the Case
The offences were registered after senior forest officials uncovered a major racket in the protected forest, which serves as a habitat for lions and other wild animals such as leopards, chinkara, chital, and nilgai. An FIR was lodged at Palitana Rural police station based on a complaint by Payal Joshi, the range forest officer of Palitana. The FIR names forest department employees and private individuals accused of conspiring for illicit financial gain.
Prime Accused
The prime accused are forester Karshan Gohil and forest guard Kalpesh Dabhi, who misused their positions to facilitate the illegal activity. Others include Budha Chohan, a truck operator; Asif Shah, a truck driver; and Mukesh Bambhaniya, a timber agent. Gohil and Dabhi were arrested earlier by forest officials and are in judicial custody. Chohan and Shah were not arrested by the forest department, while Bambhaniya's role surfaced later during the investigation.
Timeline and Modus Operandi
According to the complaint, the illegal activity took place between April 15 and May 9. The accused allegedly allowed unauthorized entry into the reserved forest, felled 1,690 trees, and transported the timber using a truck and an earthmover. RFO Joshi stated that the illegal sale of timber caused a direct loss of Rs 3.57 lakh to the exchequer. The FIR also alleges that the accused destroyed tree roots to erase evidence of felling and provided misleading information to senior officials.
Legal Provisions
Palitana Rural police registered the case under BNS Sections 329(3), 316(5), 240, 238(b), 61(2), and 54. These sections cover offences such as criminal trespass, criminal breach of trust, criminal conspiracy, and others. The addition of BNS charges strengthens the case against the accused, who now face more severe legal consequences.
This incident highlights the ongoing threat to wildlife habitats in Gujarat, particularly the lion corridor in Bhavnagar district. The forest department and police are working together to ensure that those responsible for the illegal felling are brought to justice and that such activities are prevented in the future.
