Forest Team Attacked During Anti-Encroachment Drive in Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve; Deputy Director Manhandled
Raipur
A Forest Department team conducting action against alleged encroachment in the core zone of the Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve was attacked by villagers at Jaitpuri village in the Sitanadi range on Monday. Deputy Director Varun Jain was reportedly manhandled during the incident when officials visited the area to record statements of accused encroachers.
The reserve administration had recently initiated proceedings against 166 alleged encroachers in the core forest area. Forest offence cases were registered and notices were issued to heads of 166 families residing in the village. Although several accused responded to the notices, their official statements had not yet been recorded.
Following the issuance of two consecutive notices by the forest department, the accused approached the court seeking anticipatory bail, which was reportedly rejected. Tension further escalated after the recent arrest of five accused persons in connection with the encroachment cases.
Officials said that when the forest team reached Jaitpuri village on Monday to record statements, villagers allegedly gathered in large numbers, placing women at the forefront of the crowd before launching an attack on personnel.
Deputy Director Varun Jain said the situation is currently under control. He stated that attempts by the accused to evade legal proceedings through intimidation or obstruction would not succeed and that the department is continuing legal action in the matter.
Satellite imagery revealed long-term illegal occupation
Large-scale encroachment and illegal tree felling inside the Udanti-Sitanadi sanctuary came to light in 2022 after Varun Jain took charge as deputy director. In 2023, the reserve administration developed a remote sensing portal using satellite imagery data spanning more than two decades.
A comparative analysis of satellite images from 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2026 reportedly exposed systematic forest encroachment and deforestation over the years.
Before launching the present crackdown, the forest department had already removed encroachments from nearly 850 hectares across multiple villages, including Ghoragaon, Sormal, Budhgeltappa, Banwapara, Gariba, Kokdi, Gona, Kandsar, Pharsara, Pipalkhuta, Karipani and Karlajhar Nagesh areas.
