In connection with cutting of green trees in the reserve forest area on Old Mussoorie Road, Rajpur, Dehradun Police arrested accused contractor Kuldeep Singh Negi on Saturday night.
Earlier, senior IPS officer and the then Uttarakhand DGP (Rules and Manual) BS Sidhu had lodged an FIR against Anarwala residents Ved Prakash Mahawar and Satish Gupta, Rajawala resident and forest guard Sri Prasad Saklani, Mussoorie divisional forest officer Dheeraj Pandey under sections 420, 120B, 166, 167, 504 and 26 forest Act in Rajpur Police Station on July 9, 2013.
Dehradun SSP Kewal Khurana said that during interrogation, labourers Akbar and Naseem, residents of Sahaspur who had cut the trees at the site, disclosed that Chukkhuwala (Kotwali) resident contractor Negi and forest guard Sri Prasad Saklani and other forest employees had deployed them for cutting four trees from Veergirwali forest area, Old Mussoorie Road in the first week of March, this year.
The labourers said, “We were riding pillion on contractor Negi’s bike to reach the spot where Forest Guard Saklani and other forest employees were already present there. Contractors and forest employees told us to cut four trees as it was of Government trees. As per their instructions, we had cut four trees and kept the timber at forest post. For this work, we were paid Rs 350."
Akbar said, “After a week, Negi deployed me to remove the stumps of the four axed trees. After reaching the site I found 21 trees had been axed, on seeing which I refused to work and returned home.” Khurana said that the statement of both the labourers was recorded in the court of judicial magistrate-I which was similar to their previous statement. Based on their statement and after reviewing phone call details of Negi and Saklani, police arrested Negi.
It may be mentioned here that Sidhu had purchased a piece of land on Old Mussoorie Road in Dehradun which the Forest Department claimed to be forest land. In his complaint, Sidhu alleged forest officials Dheeraj Pandey, Prasad Saklani, Ved Prakash, Satish Gupta and Veer Chandran had felled trees in the reserve forest area. The matter subsequently went to court.
However, Geeta Negi, wife of Kuldeep Negi, who was witnessed crying over arrest of her husband at SSP office, alleged that her husband was being framed in the case. She claimed that she and her husband were statehood activists. To "save" the DGP, her husband was being framed by police. She threatened, “I will commit suicide if my husband does not get justice in this case and police will be responsible for my death.” later she became unconscious and lay down on the ground outside SSP office.