Coimbatore: Police are investigating an incident in which a forest ranger was attacked for questioning four persons who were consuming alcohol in a forest area.
Coimbatore: Police are investigating an incident in which a forest ranger was attacked for questioning four persons who were consuming alcohol in a forest area.
Forest department personnel were on routine patrol duty today at the Narasipuram Javkadu forest area next to Thondamuthur. They found four youngsters consuming alcohol at the area. Forest ranger Nehrudas confronted them and said that areas adjacent to forests should not used for drinking and discarded bottles could harm animals such as elephants. The youngsters who were in an inebriated state took offence to this and assaulted Nehru Das.
Nehrudas fled the scene and sought the help of farmers working nearby. When the farmers went to the place and questioned the youth, the quartet tried attacking them too. Following this, villagers, farmers and younsters gathered there captured the inebriated youngsters and handed them over to the forest department personnels.
Following this, the four youngsters were taken to the Boluvampatti Forest Office at the Iruttupallam area and interrogated. Their car was taken there too. It was learnt that the youngsters are from the Vadavalli area and are close to a famous AIADMK executive in the area.
Their vehicle had AIADMK flags and also stickers claiming they were members of the press. People from the area thronged the Boluvampatti Forest Office and demanded strict action be initiated against the youngsters and farmers in the area be given protection.
Following this, the Alandurai police are interrogating the youngsters. It is to be noted that the youngsters were found consuming alcohol near the place where a man was stamped to death by an elephant yesterday.