An environmental activist has accused two forest officers of being mistreatment and frequent transfer of his wife - a forest guard, who is currently deputed at Shyampur forest range of Haridwar forest division.
The activist also demanded a probe and action against the two officers - Divisional Forest Officer Haridwar, HK Singh and Range Officer Shyampur Yashpal Singh Rathore, while alleging that they have been harassing his wife.
Writing a letter each to the Chief Judicial Magistrate Uttarakhand High Court, Union Child and Women Development Minister Maneka Gandhi and Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, the activist, Dinesh Chandra Pandey, informed that his wife Vinita Pandey has been working as a forest guard since 2010, however, she has been transferred repeatedly since she was transferred from Haldwani in 2014. He further alleged that over the past two years and eight months, she has been transferred twice with no credible reasons. In 2014, she was allegedly asked to look after crime against women in Chandi Ghat area alone with no watcher to assist her.
Speaking to The Pioneer, Dinesh Chandra Pandey said, “She was not given any equipment like wireless set or fire extinguisher. No chowki was allotted to her in spite of her repeated requests to the range officer.
On June 8, 2015, she was transferred to Naster beat of forest range and again she was left to fend for herself with no equipment being provided to her.”
The activist said she had caught some people while flouting the forest rules. “But they were later let off by the ranger under political pressure. Besides, by way of appeasing leaders of a particular political party, the range officer included Van Gujjars in the Gujjar category to help the former get land for rehabilitation in case of relocation,” added Dinesh.
Vinita Pandey said she was being asked to do night patrolling alone with nobody to assist her. “I feel insecure as the forest officers come in drunken state,” she said.
Meanwhile, DFO Singh claimed that he was unaware any of them. “I have not received any complaint so far. I would respond after the complaint is received,” he said.
“Vinita Pandey spends time with her husband when on duty instead of remaining vigilant at the forest post. As two other women guards were away on maternity leave and training Vinita was temporarily shifted to wildlife rescue centre. It was not a permanent transfer,” he added.