Rajnagar: Forest personnel were assaulted during a drive to demolish illegal prawn gheries in Bhitarkanika area under the Rajnagar block of Kendrapara district Saturday.
The incident occurred when officials were dismantling unauthorised prawn dykes in compliance with a directive of the Orissa High Court. After demolishing one enclosure, the team proceeded to a second site at Gopaljew Patna when the dyke’s owner, financiers and several outsiders confronted them, protesting the action.
As the forest personnel continued demolition despite resistance, the protesters attacked a forest official identified as Arjun Dalai. The critically injured forest personnel were hospitalised following the attack. In this connection, forester Dalai, forest guard Satish Lakra and Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Manas Kumar Das filed a written complaint at Talachua Marine PS.
Those named in the complaint include Shambhunath Mandal, Jayadev Jena, Dilip Kumar Panda and Shantanu Pahadi. The attackers allegedly used sharp weapons and abused the victim using caste-based slurs.
The incident has sparked concern as it occurred during the enforcement of a court-ordered crackdown on illegal aquaculture activities. When contacted, IIC Sandhyarani Jena of Talachua Marine PS said a case (61/26) has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 296, 121, 115(2), 132, 351(3) and 3(5), along with provisions of the SC/ST Act. Notably, the biodiversity of Bhitarkanika National Park is threatened by illegal prawn gheries.
As per Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms, no prawn dyke is allowed within 500 metres of tidal areas along rivers and the sea. The high court has also directed the removal of such enclosures within the Bhitarkanika National Park area.
Earlier, the Forest department had demolished 20 enclosures of 12 persons March 20 and 21 enclosures of 11 persons March 24. On March 25, when a forest team reached Pattaparia to dismantle more enclosures, women and prawn farm owners opposed the demolition drive and gheraoed them, forcing them to retreat.