latehar police have cautioned an official of the Palamu Tiger Reserve against Maoists threat. SP latehar, who has issued an alert to the officer of the PTR, said that the PTR officer has been advised to be more cautious in the jungles if he ventures out.
Chhipadohar range of the PTR is most vulnerable to this officer said sources.
Areas like Kuchila, Nawadih and Chahal Chungru of this range are more risky for this PTR officer. In the contiguity of these areas is one ‘Boorha Pahar’ that is a safe haven of the Maoists.
The officer, who is now under threat of the Maoists, had a second lease of life in 1998, when his vehicle was blown up by Maoists in a landmine explosion at Chahal Chungru, in which his two contract workers of the PTR were killed on the spot and the official vehicle gypsy became a total wreck. This officer was incidentally not in the gypsy then!
Sources said, the PTR officer has incurred the wrath of the Maoists for seizure of plucked and stored Kendu leaves. Kendu leaves plucked from the PTR were seized in a massive way this summer. Plucking of leaf from the PTR is unlawful under order of the Supreme Court.
However the Maoists took it as a challenge since lots of levy money revolves round the Kendu leaves. Its seizure means blocking of money. About 700 to 800 standard bags of Kendu leaves were seized by the PTR people. One standard bag is supposed to have 10000 polas of Kendu leaves and each pola is of 50 leaves.
Sources said the forest officials are also responsible for their miseries. They lodge cases most rampantly against the extreme poor as one police official in latehar district said ‘When we go to execute warrant in forest case we find the accused extremely poor having no cloth on the body and is hungry for hours and worse of all know nothing about the offence at all’.
Source in latehar police set up said hundreds of warrants related cases are of forest offences which are pending in Palamu which needs to be executed but due to the financial condition of the accused, the police have always a second thought over its execution.