Police registers FIR, seizes 7 quinatals firewood
Suhail Khan
BARAMULLA, Oct 10: Police in Dangiwacha Rafiabad, district Baramulla on Monday registered FIR against a Pazalpora resident, allegedly for cutting down two standing green Fir trees in Langate forest division.
A forest officer told Kashmir Despatch that as a local in forest area, the accused was well within his rights to use permissible quantity of firewood that too under the supervision of the forest officials. “But he (Saif-u-Din Khan, alias Saif-u-Din Wani) axed two live, green, standing Fir trees. Our field staff took cognizance of the matter and informed the police which registered FIR against him at Dangiwacha police station,” Reyaz Ahmad, Range Officer Watergam-Rafiabad which falls in forest division Langate, told Kashmir Despatch on phone.
Sharing further details, the Range Officer said that the FIR number 106/2022 under section 379 of IPC and 26 Indian Forest Act has been registered against Saif-u-Din and the seized firewood which weighed approximately around 8 quintals has been shifted to Langate forest headquarters.
Sources in the Pazalpora village told Kashmir Despatch that Safi-u-Din had cut down the green standing Fir trees to be consumed for his daughter’s marriage ceremony. However, the story has another side. Few locals told Kashmir Despatch, that the inhabitants of the forest range Watergam have been using firewood to prepare refreshment for such type of functions but Saif-u-Din won ‘enemies’ who went to police complaining against him only because of some trivial issue.
Pertinently, the sections of the law invoked by the police against Saif-u-Din warrants his arrest for a non bailable offence.
