Orissa timber smugglers kill forester,injure 5

A forester was hacked to death and 5 forest officials and forest protection activists seriously injured in a struggle with armed timber smugglers inside a reserve forest of Khurda district on Wednesday night. A smuggler was also injured when a forest range officer opened fire during the attack.

State Principal Chief Conservator of Forests S C Mohanty said forester Somnath Behera was hacked to death in Kandapada reserve forest of Ranpur ranger under Khurda forest division. Behera and five other staff and activists had rushed to Jasodapur village in Kandapara reserve forest late on Wednesday night after getting information that some members of the timber mafia were smuggling out large logs of teakwood. “When they reached the spot,they came face to face with over 40 timber smugglers who were armed with axes and other sharp weapons. They (the smugglers) dragged forester Behera out and hacked him to death. The injured ranger officer and other forest officials have been admitted to a local hospital in Bhubaneswar,” said Mohanty.