Maneka Gandhi writes to Baijal, urges govt to arm, strengthen forest officials

The letter comes in the wake of an attack on forest guards at south Delhi’s Asola Bhatti wildlife sanctuary by alleged liquor smugglers

Lok Sabha MP and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi has written a letter to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal urging him to equip the city’s forest department with arms and vehicles to help them discharge their duties.

In the letter date October 8, Maneka Gandhi referred to the September 23.

The letter comes in the wake of an attack on forest guards at south Delhi’s Asola Bhatti wildlife sanctuary by alleged liquor smugglers.

In the letter date October 8, Gandhi referred to the September 23 attack and said that considering the city’s forest department officials have to face the dangers of illegal activities in forest areas regularly, they need to be ‘amply equipped and strengthened’ in order to discharge their duties.

“There has been a gruesome and pre-planned attack on forest officials inside the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary in Delhi while discharging their duties. This issue is extremely serious and requires action at the highest levels to ensure that there is no loss of life,” Gandhi wrote.

She added, “Since Delhi is known to for illegal wildlife smuggling activities, it is important that the forest department is strengthened and appropriate measures are taken for equipping them with necessary arms, vehicles and other such provisions for their safety and effective discharge of their duties.”

Senior forest officials said that the attack was in retaliation to the department’s crackdown against alcohol smugglers, who were using the forest routes to smuggle alcohol from Haryana to Delhi. This activity had intensified especially after the Covid-19 pandemic broke out last year and the supply of liquor was hit in Delhi for several months.

While the LG on September 23, the same day when the officials were attacked, notified a uniform code for the forest department, it has only equipped forest officials with batons and lathis to face smugglers, encroachers and timber mafia.

Gandhi said, “I request you to kindly give appropriate directions to the government of Delhi to take urgent steps in this regard.”

Spokesperson from the LG office did not comment on the matter.