Himalaya Harbinger, Rudrapur Bureau.
A forest guard was seriously injured in a fierce gun battle with smugglers late Tuesday night in the Kaithuliya area of Nanakmatta in Udham Singh Nagar district. The incident took place in the Ransali range of the Terai East Forest Division. This was the tenth such attack by smugglers on authorities in the Terai region over the last six months.
According to officials, the forest department received information around midnight that smugglers were transporting Khair wood. A forest department team launched a checkpoint operation in Kaithuliya. At around 1 am, the team spotted a pickup truck loaded with over 50 quintals of Khair wood. On seeing the forest officials, the smugglers opened fire from behind nearby trees. In retaliation, the forest team returned fire, sparking a fierce exchange of gunfire. During the encounter, a bullet struck forest guard Jitendra Bisht in the leg, seriously injuring him. Despite the heavy gunfire, the smugglers managed to flee the scene, abandoning a motorcycle and the pickup truck loaded with Khair wood.
After the shootout, police teams, including a circle officer (CO), arrived at the scene and conducted searches. Two suspects were taken into custody and are being interrogated from various angles. The forest department has seized the illegal Khair wood and the abandoned vehicle. Jitendra Bisht was immediately provided with first aid and later referred to Sushila Tiwari Hospital in Haldwani. “The bullet has been removed, and his condition is now stable,” doctors said.
District Forest Officer (DFO) Himanshu Bagri of the Terai East Forest Division said, “Forest smugglers will not be spared at any cost. We are committed to taking strict action, and they will be caught soon.”
Over the past six months, attacks by smugglers in the Terai region have increased, with no signs of abating despite numerous arrests and cases. On April 23, a forest guard in the Barhani range was attacked by a notorious smuggler, Gurjar. On May 25, an encounter with smugglers in the Tanda range led to a smuggler being shot dead after he fired at forest officials. Days later, on May 29, armed smugglers attacked a team in Gulzarpur to reclaim a loader seized during an illegal mining operation.
Smugglers continued their assaults in July, with Gurjar reemerging on July 1 to attack a forest guard and a constable in Barhani. On July 16, another encounter broke out between smugglers and forest personnel in the Pipal Parao range. Violence escalated in Aug, with forest officials getting attacked on Aug 2, 4, and 6. On October 9, the smugglers rammed a patrol vehicle, injuring three forest officials, including a deputy ranger
