Forest guard dies after being injured in clash with smugglers

Darjeeling: Kartik Guha Roy, a forest guard, breathed his last at a private nursing home in Siliguri on Monday.

Nearly a week ago, he was injured from the pellets fired from a gun of a fellow forest guard while battling timber smugglers.

The incident had occurred at December 12 night at Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR) when around 15 to 20 armed smugglers gathered in Compartment 3 of South Raidak beat under the Raidak Range to fell trees.

When this information reached the Range and Beat office, a team from the Forest department reached the spot. The smugglers had already felled two trees.

On seeing the forest team, the smugglers opened fire and the Forest department officers also retaliated. During the exchange of fire in pitch darkness, 56-year-old Kartik, who had gone forward, got hit by pellets from a gun of a co-worker.

The smugglers fled under the cover of darkness. Kartik was rushed from Alipurduar to a private nursing home in Siliguri. He suffered heavy injuries on his right leg. A surgery had also taken place. "It is a very sad incident. Kartik Guha Roy died protecting the forest. We will stand by his family. As per rules whatever his family is entitled to they shall get," stated Binoykrishna Burman, Forest minister, Government of West Bengal.