Budgam, May 25: Four officials including a Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) were injured when a group of timber smugglers attacked them at Sutaharan area here last night.
 Reports said acting on a specific information, a team of the Forest Department led by DFO Humayaun Kabir rushed to Sutaharan on Wednesday at 8.30 pm to seize illicit timber in compartment numbers 7 and 8 in Sukhnag Forest Range of Budgam.
 Witnesses said when the team reached near Kadlabal area of Tosamaidan, the smugglers attacked the forest officials with axes, rods and sharp-edged tools injuring DFO Humayan Kabir, Range Officer Sukhnag Assadullah and Forest Guards Muhammad Yousuf Rather and Ali Muhammad Parray.
 The Forest Guards have been referred to SKIMS Soura for further treatment.
 An FIR 32/ 2012 under sections 332, 336,354 has been registered in Police Station Khag.
 The Minister of State for Forests, Shabir Ahmad Khan strongly condemned the attack on the forest officials. “In some areas in the State the timber smugglers have turned into a mafia. We have devised a strategy to eradicate the mafia,” Khan told a news gathering agency KNS.
 The inhabitants of Sukhnag have hailed the forest officials for taking the timber mafia head on. Meanwhile, the State Forest Officers Association J&K president, Ghulam Hassan Bhat has demanded strict action against the accused timber smugglers.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 25 May 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 25 May 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 26 May 2012 00:00:00 IST