Uttarakhand Director General of Police BS Sidhu said that Dehradun police is doing its own work in connection with the cutting of green trees on a plot of land at Veergirwali forest area, Old Mussoorie Road, Rajpur.
The DGP denied that there is any pressure on district police over this issue from police head quarter. The district police are conducting unbiased investigation in the case. “I will welcome the development if the forest department or its employees demand CBI inquiry of this case,” he added. The revelation by Dehradun police that a contractor who claimed to have acted on instructions from Forest Department officers had axed Sal trees on the property of DGP Sidhu at Veergirwali has pitted the forest department against the police department.
Dehradun police are investigating issues like who asked the contractor to cut the trees and the motive behind this. Asked about forest employees warning of agitation in support of their demand for inquiry by CBI or a retired judge Sidhu questioned, “How can one compel department employees to go on strike if any Government agency’s inquiry or investigation report goes against themIJ I will welcome their demand for a CBI inquiry of this case.” It may be mentioned here that Dehradun police arrested a contractor for allegedly felling Sal trees from the DGP’s plot on November 16. The two labourers told the police that they had been told to cut the trees by the contractor.
Sidhu said that RTI reports of the forest department revealed that the land which he had purchased was not forest land but after September this year, the department claimed this land was forest land. According to him, the accused contractor who was arrested by the police claimed that he had axed green trees on instructions from Forest Department officers.
“The green trees were axed on March 8 so why did the department wait till March 20 to lodge an FIRIJ Due to mala fide intention, a case was registered against me in the police station,” he added. Asked about whether Dehradun police would arrest remaining accused in the case, DGP said local police will decide this. 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 of IPC and 26 of Forest Act in Rajpur Police Station on July 9.