Forest Watcher Dies After Being Hit By Dept Vehicle At Satkosia Sanctuary In Odisha

Angul: Irate locals staged a protest outside Pampasara range office on Tuesday over the death of a forest watcher after being hit by a ranger’s vehicle at Satkosia wildlife sanctuary in Odisha’s Angul district the previous night.

The deceased has been identified as Sambit Das (23) of Gopalpur village.

Sources said Sambit was working as a forest watcher for the last six months. He was on duty near Gopalpur village when  Tikarparda ranger Maguni Behera’s vehicle hit him around 6.30 pm.

The villagers alleged that though Sambit was grievously injured, none of the forest personnel came to his rescue or immediately rushed him to a hospital. He was taken to the hospital after a delay of three hours and was declared dead.

The protest affected the movement of tourist vehicles at the sanctuary remained disrupted.

While none from the Forest department has reached the spot to pacify the agitators, Purunakot IIC Aashish Jena and Bantala IIC Sumitra Patra have assured the villagers of immediate and necessary action.