The gruesome murder of G G Dhote has evoked strong reactions among forest guards all over the district and. This has added one more to over a dozen incidents of assault on forest guards by suspected teak cartel in the district in the past one year.

According to details available so far, the highly decomposed body of forest guard Dhote was found buried under a heap of boulders by Bhiwapur Police from deep inside the jungles of Malewada beat.

Forest officials and the Bhiwapur police had been searching for Dhote since Saturday, January 30, after he did not come back from his beat and did not report back at home. Dhote had left for patrolling on Friday, January 29 on his motorcycle when he as last seen.

The break came when the police discovered Dhote's motorcycle isolated inside the forest. Howeverit was only late on Sunday night that the body was found. This morning forest and police officials reached the spot to recover the body from below a heap of boulders.

Police inform that bludgeoning injuries has been observed on the back of Dhote's head; the injuries might have caused excessive blood-loss resulting in his death, they say. Police recovered a piece of paper near Dhote's body on which was inscribed `muljim panchnama' (statement of the suspect). This leads to a theory that Dhote had noticed illegal teak-fellers during patrolling and had apprehended them and he might have been preparing to record statement of the culprits when he was killed.

Meanwhile, at a press conference held today, working president of the Vanrakshak Sanghatana, Ajay Patil, said the the incident drew attention to the state of affairs in the Forest Department. According to Patil, forest guards who have to patrol the thick jungle alone are not armed for self-defence, neither do they have communication facilities tocounter the well-armed tree-felling mafia.

Patil has also demanded a compensation of Rs two lakh to Dhote's kin and a job for his widow.