Himalaya Harbinger, Rudrapur Bureau.
The Gadarpur police in district Udham Singh Nagar have booked 12 persons, five named and others unidentified, after an encounter between timber smugglers and forest personnel took place in the Pipal Parao range of the Terai Central Forest Division on Friday evening, resulting in injuries to four forest officials, including a ranger. The exchange of fire, with over 30 rounds shot from both sides, left the forest echoing with gunfire. The five persons are identified as Gurmeet Singh, Sangat Singh, Sarvjeet Singh, Sandeep Singh and Kuldep Singh, all residents of Thapa Nagla village in Bazpur.
The incident began when a group of smugglers on motorcycles entered the Pipal Parao range to fell a teak tree under the Gadarpur p[olcie jurisdiction area. Upon receiving information, Ranger Roop Narayan Gautam alerted the Gadarpur Station House Officer (SHO) and Gularbhoj outpost in-charge before heading to the location with a team of forest personnel. “When we reached compartments 112-113, we found more than 12 smugglers sitting on the fire line,” Ranger Gautam said. “At first, they tried to flee, but then they started firing at us. Initially, they fired in the air, but soon they began targeting us directly.”
The forest personnel responded by firing warning shots into the air. Despite this, the smugglers continued shooting, injuring Ranger Gautam, who was hit by shrapnel in his stomach, along with Forest Inspector Heera Singh and Forest Guards Shubham Sharma and Kamal Singh. All injured were rushed to the JL Nehru district hospital in Rudrapur for treatment. A motorcycle, two saws, and a half-cut teak tree were recovered from the scene.
Senior officials, including SP City Manoj Katyal and Pantnagar SHO Manoj Raturi, visited the district hospital to inquire about the condition of the injured. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) UC Tiwari also reached the spot to assess the situation. “The smugglers were armed with country-made guns and pistols, and they were shooting with the clear intent to kill,” said DFO Tiwari.
Following the attack, the police launched a manhunt to apprehend the culprits. Acting on the instructions of newly appointed Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manikant Mishra, SP Kashipur Abhay Singh led a joint operation with forest personnel, conducting raids in possible hideouts of the smugglers. “We combed the forest area and raided the houses of the suspects, but they had already fled,” SP Singh said. “We are actively searching for them.”
SHO Gadarpur Jasbir Chauhan said that the accused have been booked under relevant sections of the BNS, including section 109 (attempt to murder), section 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of duties), section 115(voluntarily causing hurt ), Forest Act and the Arms Act. “We continue our efforts to apprehend the smugglers and prevent further illegal activities in the region”, Chauhan said.
