VALPOI
Clashes between locals and forest officials left the range forest officer and three locals injured at Bandirwada-Savarde in Sattari Taluka. The RFO Narayan Prabhudesai is also reported to have fired in the air to disperse the irate crowd.
Agitated locals also blocked vehicles of the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary for over five hours.
According to reports, the incident took place as Prabhudesai, along with Deputy Conservator of Forests Tejasvita Kumar and a forest team, was headed towards Krishnapur area.
As they reached Bandirwada village, they noticed a woman, Rukmini Gawade, undertaking some house repairs.
Prabhudesai then asked Gawade if she had permission to repair her house in the wildlife sanctuary area.
An argument broke out and news of this incident spread in the village, prompting angry locals to gather on the main road at Bandirwada.
As Prabhudesai and the forest team were returning at about 1 pm, agitated locals confronted them while refusing to allow their vehicles to proceed ahead.
The two groups had a heated argument and Prabhudesai is alleged to have fired in the air to disperse the crowd.
This further angered the locals and clashes broke out between the two groups, leaving Prabhudesai and three locals injured in the incident.
Later, Sattari Bhoomiputra Sangathan President Harishchandra Gawas notified the Valpoi police about the incident.
A Valpoi police team rushed to the site and tried to defuse the tension between the two groups. Representatives of both groups were taken to the Valpoi police station, but till late night no complaint was lodged against anyone.
Later speaking to reporters, Gawade alleged that Prabhudesai had abused her and accused him of trying to suppress the voices of locals regarding land ownership rights.
Harishchandra Gawas has threatened to protest if locals are held responsible for Wednesday’s incident.
For the last few years, people of Sattari have been demanding land ownership rights and exclusion of their villages from the wildlife sanctuary.
