Sugandhagiri tree felling case: Three including division forest officer suspended

KOZHIKODE: Three more including division forest officer have been suspended in connection with the felling and smuggling of 126 trees from the Sudhangiri forest land of Wayanad. South Wayanad division forest officer Shajna Karim, Kalpatta flying squad range officer M Sajeevan and grade deputy Beeran Kutty have been suspended. With this, the number of forest department employees suspended in the incident rose to nine.

Kalpatta range officer K Neethu was suspended the other day. North Wayanad DFO Martin Lovel is temporarily in charge of South Wayanad Division. Thamarassery range officer Vimal is in temporary charge of the flying squad range.

Forest section officer K K Chandran, beat officers Saji Prasad, M K Vinod Kumar, watchers Johnson and Balan were suspended earlier. A high-level investigation report said 18 forest officials, including a divisional forest officer and two range officers, were guilty in the case. Forest Minister A K Saseendran had directed the additional chief secretary forest to take immediate action against them.

The report said forest watcher R Johnson received a bribe of Rs 52,000 from the accused and the forest department employees showed the trees to be felled to the contractor. In the report, there were allegations of permission given to fell trees without any inspections, cases were registered and criminals were allowed to smuggle wood and the real culprits were not brought to justice.