Anger brews over Valparai forest range officer’s arrest

Coimbatore: More than 250 frontline forest staff attached to the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) boycotted work on Friday to condemn the arrest of Valparai forest range officer K Jayachandran on charges of verbally abusing three youths, including the son of a sitting judge of the Madras high court, in an inebriated state at a forest rest house at Sirukundra near Valparai.

While the forest range officer was remanded in judicial custody till October 7, members of the Tamil Nadu Forest Staff Association gathered outside the office of the district forest officer, Pollachi division, on Friday morning and boycotted work to register their protest over Jayachandran’s arrest.

A Manikandan, president of the association, ATR branch, said he had shot off a letter to the ATR field director on the day, demanding to constitute a committee to probe the incident.

“A false case is foisted on Jayachandran. The judiciary power is misused against him. To condemn the forest range officer’s arrest, more than 250 frontline staff, including forest guards, watchers, foresters, rangers and anti-poaching watchers with ATR have boycotted work. The fake case registered against the ranger should be withdrawn,” Manikandan said.

He said the association’s executive committee meeting would be held in Salem on Saturday morning to take a stand on the issue.

Jayachandran’s advocate had moved a bail application before the Valparai district munsif and judicial magistrate court on Thursday itself. Much to the disappointment of the frontline forest staff, the bail petition didn’t come up for hearing on Friday. The petition is now expected to be heard on Saturday.

Meanwhile, 33 forest range officers, who were undergoing training at Mettupalayam for the past two days, staged a protest on Friday night when they came to know about Jayachandran’s arrest. They also raised slogans and condemned the misuse of power against the forest range officer, who they said should be released immediately. They threatened to take out a state-wide protest if the ranger was not released.

The Valparai police had arrested Jayachandran on Thursday night after registering a case against him under Sections 294b and 506(1) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 4(1)(j) of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition Act.

In a related incident, M Nazir, retired assistant conservator of forests, Coimbatore, and former president of Tamil Nadu Forest Staff Association, have shot off letters to the chief wildlife warden and principal chief conservator of forest on the day, demanding justice should be done to the forest ranger.