Almost a month after several forest officials were allegedly attacked when they tried to stop the construction of an artificial pond for Chhath Puja preparations on forest land in Tughlakabad, the Delhi Forest Department's complaint lodged with the police on October 15 has not yet been converted into an FIR, officials claim.
According to the officials, the land falls under the Southern Ridge where non-forestry activities are not allowed without permission.
The Delhi Police did not comment on the matter when contacted by The Indian Express.
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According to the complaint filed by the Range Forest Officer of Asola Bhatti Range, a group of people allegedly attacked the department personnel when they intervened to prevent encroachment into forest areas during preparations for Chhath Puja on October 14.
The letter addressed to the Station House Officer of Sangam Vihar police station sought registration of an FIR under Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) for offenses such as “obstruction, misconduct, grievous bodily harm and intimidation of an officer on duty”.
The complaint also mentioned that officers were threatened with an ax and other “sharp weapons” and that a forest ranger was injured
sustained serious injuries while his uniform was torn in the suspected mob attack.
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The department said a police team reached the spot, which helped forest officials avoid further damage.
“During regular patrolling… the patrol officer-in-charge at Tughlakabad observed some illegal construction work being carried out by residents of Sangam Vihar… it was found that a Chhath Ghat was being constructed… on the instructions of MLA Chandan Choudhary,” the complaint said.
When contacted, Sangam Vihar MLA and BJP chief Chandan Choudhary said the matter was resolved the same day and termed it a “misunderstanding”. “Chhath Puja has been organized at this place for around 20 years. The land belongs to the DDA and it has set up an NOC for such celebrations. It was a minor confusion which was cleared on the day itself,” he said.
Choudhary added that police officials had inquired about the incident and the issue had been resolved.
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However, the forest authorities maintained that the land where the incident occurred belonged to a notified forest area. “Once an interim notification is issued under Section 4 of the Indian Forest Act, the ownership of the land is irrelevant… it is classified as a forest and the ministry is responsible for its protection. Even if someone denies this, it does not give anyone the right to threaten or attack a government official on duty,” an official said.
A ministry report on the incident said it “occurred at Khasras No. 1621 in Tughlakabad village, a proposed forest reserve under Section 4 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927…”