A person was today killed in firing and two foresters were critically injured in a clash that ensued when a forest department team went to plant saplings on a plot of land at Kaanp Tanda village in Mailani area of the district.
"Kaanp Tanda villagers attacked the staffers of Sampurnanagar range with firearms, sharp-edged weapons and heavy sticks when a forest department team went there to plant saplings," Divisional Forest Officer (north) KK Pandey said, adding that "there was no provocation for the attack".
"The armed villagers grievously injured forest watcher Akhilesh Kumar Singh Sonu and forest guard Divan Singh Bora," Pandey said.
Meanwhile, the villagers claimed that the forest guards opened fire at them during which 35-year-old Narottam Singh was killed on the spot, Pandey said.
The DFO, however, said, "It is yet to be probed from whose firing the man was killed."
"The land belongs to the forest department, but some villagers were trying to grab it and even erected hutments," he said, adding that a thorough probe has been ordered and further action would be taken based on the report.
