“I was pressured to give an informed statement,” says a suspended official from the department

Wayanad: Kalpetta Forest Range Officer K Neethu, who was suspended in connection with the Sugandhagiri tree felling case, has told the department that the investigation team subjected her to extreme psychological stress to obtain trained statements to suit her “own interests”. .

In her letter to the Chief of Forest Force and Chief Conservator of Forests, accessed by Onmanorama through RTI, she alleged that the investigation team set up by the department to investigate the tree felling case forced her to sign a statement tailored to her to burden her.

The letter adds to the woes of the Forest Department, which is in a bind due to the numerous disciplinary actions taken against officials in connection with the case.

In a letter dated April 29, K Neethu said she had repeatedly pointed out to the investigating officer that the facts in the statement she was forced to sign were not true. “I was surprised by the persuasiveness of the officers,” she writes in the letter.

K. Neethu was suspended on April 18 based on a Special Investigation Team report accusing her of supervisory lapses that led to the massive tree felling at Sugandhagiri Plantation in Kalpetta Forest Range. The case was that 127 trees were felled with the permit obtained in February this year for 20 trees.

The letter further stated that Neethu K had issued the ‘Form 3’ passes for transporting the timber based on her personal sampling, which was verified through circumstantial and physical evidence. She also attached details from the logbook of her company vehicle as well as pages from the official tour diary to the letter.

“The trees were felled in 45 widely spaced plots, which are part of a huge 1,087-hectare land.” It was handed over to 457 landless tribal families in 5-hectare plots each with title deeds. “The land is only a small part of the larger 3,506.20 hectare forest area,” the letter said.

According to the statement, their team arrested all ten accused, who were also produced before the court and remanded in custody. In addition, the subordinates directly involved in the crime were suspended and the vehicles used to transport the logs were confiscated.

She also accused the survey team of failing to find a single tree stump other than those identified by her during her drone-guided search in the area.

On the allegation of negligence, Neethu K said in the letter that the massive felling of trees took place when the district repeatedly reported deaths in elephant attacks. The letter said her team was fully involved in resolving the human-animal conflict for 13 days in February.

Onmanorama made repeated attempts to get a comment from Neethu Lakshmi M, Conservator of Forests (Inspection and Assessment), who led the survey team, but received no response.