Baripada: Odisha School and Mass Education Minister Sudam Marndi faced public anger when he visited Mayurbhanj on Sunday for the cremation of forester Mati Hansda, who was shot dead by poachers in Similipal sanctuary.
Sources said several locals of Jashipur in the district including a forest guard confronted Marndi, who hails from Mayurbhanj district, and alleged that the state government was apathetic towards forest department employees.
As a result, forest department employees are being killed by poachers in Similipal, they claimed. The locals also accused a senior forest official of mentally harassing the employees.
The forest department staff are being targeted by poachers because of the attitude of senior officials, they said, adding that though the government claims that it supports the employees of the forest department, the ground reality is different.
The Minister tried to pacify the agitated locals and assured them that the government has taken the issue seriously. “I have come to meet the aggrieved family and my sympathies are with them. I have spoken with the RCCF. The government has taken the incident seriously,” he said.
He said he will look into the allegation of mental harassment of forest staff by a senior official and appropriate steps will be taken based on the findings.
Notably, a forester, Mati Hansda was shot dead by poachers while patrolling at Karanjia in Mayurbhanj district. Earlier two forest department officials were killed in the past two months. A 35-year-old forest guard was shot dead by a group of poachers last month.
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