Villagers and cattle invade Ranthambor, terrorise staff

Villagers and cattle invade Ranthambor, terrorise staff
RAJESH SINHA

RANTHAMBHOR (SAWAI MADHOPUR), JULY 24: After a full-scale attack on its staff who tried to check villagers from intruding into the Ranthambhor National Park, the Forest Department is making heavy security arrangements to protect the forest and its staff from the cattle-rearing villagers.

A couple of days ago, a mob attacked Forest Department officials when they apprehended 10 villagers grazing a herd of about 150 buffaloes in the heart of the National Park. The officers and staff had to let go of the animals and withdraw, managing to save themselves only after resorting to firing.

In the court premises on Saturday, the sarpanch openly threatened a Forest Range Officer. The ranger was there with the eight men and some buffaloes the department staff had captured and taken away in a small truck.

``This is nothing new,'' according to Conservator of Forests Rajiv Tyagi, ``It happens every year. Last year they attacked our staff with sling shots. Our driver lost seven of his teeth,'' he said.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) G Vishwanath Reddy, who faced the attack this year, said the intrusion into the forest started on July 19. A ranger went to the villagers, sat and talked to them, reasoned with them and asked them not to go further than the buffer area between village land and National Park.

On July 20, DFO Reddy went to inspect the area and noticed hoof marks of cattle going into the forest. The staff at a post told him the cattle and villagers could have gone towards Lambi nullah, an area in the heart of the National Park.

Reddy returned the next morning with 40 of his staff, including some rangers. They dispersed in three teams and proceeded to Lambi nullah. They found 10 villagers with about 150 buffaloes. Eight of the men and the calves in the herd were rounded up and sent away in Canters. Two of the villagers were left behind with the unhealthy and weak animals and the forest staff started back with the rest of the herd, about 100-125 animals.

Meanwhile, the two villagers left behind went and sounded their village. A mob of about a 100 villagers rushed into the forest, armed with lathis, spears and slingshots, and attacked the forest staff. ``We fired 17 rounds, 16 rounds from a revolver and one from a 12 bore gun to keep them at bay,'' said Reddy. They fired in the air, taking care not to hit anyone. The villagers took away the animals in the process. The forest staff managed to return safely, with two of them sustaining minor injuries.

The eight accused and animals were produced before a magistrate the next day. The animals were returned to the village while the men were handed to Forest Department on remand for three days. The Forest Department, as required under the rules, has asked for a magisterial inquiry.

Within the court premises, the sarpanch of Ulliana village, Kalyan Patel, threatened a ranger and challenged the Forest Department to try and retain any of its posts in the area. Ulliana and its sarpanch Kalyan have a notorious reputation, according to Forest Department staff. Over a decade ago, Kalyan led an attack on the then Field Director of National Park, Fateh Singh Rathore. They broke both his arms, a leg, a few ribs and left him for dead. He was lucky to survive.

Given this background, the Forest Department has requisitioned 100 additional men from their own department in other districts, 100 homeguards and three to four police teams of five men each. In Sawai Madhopur, the Forest Department has a staff of about 160, including rangers, to look after the Ranthambhor National Park and the Sawai Madhopur Sanctuary which together have over 20 posts to be manned.

The problem turns serious this time of the year, when all the fields have been ploughed and there is not enough land with grass left to graze the cattle. The villagers, however, cannot claim any traditional rights to grazing in the National Park. They were never allowed access to the forest by the Gujars, who had about 20 villages inside the forest, till there was a move to make it a National Park and the Gujars were shifted out, to be relocated 40 km away.

After the attack on Rathore, now a honorary wildlife warden, things were relatively quiet till 1997. Rathore himself had resigned and left in 1986 ``when the then collector issued an order allowing grazing in the forest,'' he said. The collector was later suspended and the order revoked following an uproar, Rathore added. Things went on as usual for a time. The confrontation between villagers and the Forest Department started again with Reddy taking active interest to protect the National Park.