Rejoinder, Our Reply

Rangunia range office of Chattogram Divisional Forest Office (South) protested a report published by The Daily Star headlined "Gunfight staged to get stolen logs released" on March 7.

A rejoinder signed by Range Officer Masum Kabir claimed that the report was baseless, fabricated, and intentional. It also said no bribe was paid and the attackers launched an attack prompting them to retaliate with gunfire nine times.

Two cases were filed regarding the incident.

The rejoinder, sent on March 8,  demanded the report be withdrawn, claiming that such a report would inspire the loggers.

Our Reply

Our report establishes the fact that there was no such gunfight. Police also found the same. 

We have proof that a forest guard took the bribe on behalf of a forest official and staged the gunfight.

The rejoinder claimed that such a report would inspire illegal loggers. But when The Daily Star correspondent visited the spot on February 27, he saw notorious illegal logger, Md Jamal, chitchatting with a forest guard in front of the Chiringa range office in Sharaf Bhata union.

We stand by the report.