3 forest staff transferred
A beat officer and two forest guards of Kalenga forest office in Habiganj's Chunarughat upazila have been transferred for their alleged involvement in torture and harassment of indigenous people of five villages.
They are beat officer of Sanbari Abdul Wadud and forest guards Mutahir Ali and Sukur Miah under Kalenga Reserve Forest.
Sources said Wadud was transferred to the office of assistant conservator of forest in Habiganj yesterday. The transfer order of the forest guards would be issued after Eid.
In a joint meeting yesterday, the forest department and 55 Battalion of Border Guard Bangladesh took the decision.
Fearing torture and harassment allegedly by forest officials, around 187 Tripura people of five villages under Kalenga Reserve Forest tried to cross into India early Saturday.
Stopped by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF), the indigenous people were brought back to Bangladesh after a four-hour-long meeting between BSF and BGB members on Saturday night.
RFM Monirul Islam, divisional forest officer of Sylhet Forest Division, confirmed the transfer. The beat officer could not deal with the indigenous people properly. For this reason, they transferred him, he said.
Beat officer Wadud told this correspondent that he didn't get any transfer letter from the higher authorities as yet.
Manish Chandra Debbarma, headman of Debrapara village, thanked the forest department for transferring "culprit" Wadud.
Nirmalendu Chakrabatry, officer-in-charge of Chunarughat Police Station, told The Daily Star that forest department people often harass indigenous people.
Beat officer Wadud with his men beat up 11 indigenous people, including a woman, on Friday. As they didn't get justice, they sought shelter in India for safety, he said.
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