TURA: A group of BSF personnel deployed in South Garo Hills was found allegedly felling trees along the border in Baghmara.
A local resident filed an FIR with Baghmara police on Monday and reportedly identified the jawans from Dabrang and Netri BSF camps, around 12 km from Baghmara.
The local, Jeffri Sangma said the BSF personnel have been felling trees from the Nokma’s A’king land since last monsoon.
“As many as 12 fully matured trees, locally known as Boldak and regarded as the second variety of sal wood, have been felled from the Tapre A’king that belongs to the Chisim clan,” revealed Sangma.
The place where the illegal felling was taking place is known as Dasanggre Damjingkuna forest, 8-9 km from Baghmara. Despite several protests by the locals the BSF did not yield and said the wood was meant for fire in their camps.
The men were clicked on camera cutting a giant matured tree on Monday morning. They belonged to the 141 Battalion of the BSF, which is deployed in the Baghmara-Sibbari border region.
In the police complaint,BSF assistant sub-inspector Ashok Kumar has been named as one of the officers who supervised the illegal felling.
This is not the first instance of BSF personnel felling trees.
Over a year ago, a few jawans were caught in the act by villagers and forest guards illegally felling timber inside the Baghmara reserve forest. The men had tried to cover their tracks by painting the number plates of their vehicles.
At that time too they had claimed the felling was for timber to run their kitchens at the outpost.
