UDAIPUR: Allegations of abuse of power against forest department personnel have surfaced after a goods vehicle driver was allegedly assaulted and his vehicle keys held for hours at the Bandwar drop gate on Sunday.
According to the complaint, the vehicle’s upper section struck and partially bent the drop gate’s iron pole while giving way to an auto-rickshaw on the Phulkumari road. Following this, forest official Uttam Debbarma, along with local youth Shankar Das, allegedly assaulted the driver and seized his keys, despite the driver offering ₹1,000 as compensation for the damage.
The keys were reportedly withheld from around 10 am until the afternoon. Forest officer Himangshu Sarkar allegedly took no action even after being approached, and the matter was resolved only after media intervention and police involvement from R K Pur police station, following which the keys were returned.
Locals alleged close ties between forest officials and Das, questioning the authority under which a non-employee intervened, and demanded action against him. Residents also flagged the drop gate’s poor, unscientific location as a recurring hazard for large vehicles.
Some locals further questioned the department’s inaction on alleged deforestation in the region, contrasting it with the strict treatment meted out over a minor accident.