October 5th 2024.
The recent events in Bhawanipatna have stirred up a lot of commotion and raised concerns about the well-being of those working in the Forest department. It all started when the Governor issued an order to suspend Divisional Forest Officer Debendra Kumar Behera of Rayagada Silviculture division. This decision was made in light of the tragic suicide of forester Sanjay Nayak in Junagarh block of Kalahandi district.
Sanjay Nayak, a forester at Jaring Silviculture Hi-tech Nursery, took his own life by hanging himself at his official residence on September 18. The Forest department took swift action and released a letter (numbered 19087) addressing the matter. In the letter, Behera was instructed to report for duty at the head office of PCCF and HOFF in Bhubaneswar during the period of his suspension. He was also reminded not to leave the headquarters without proper permission.
The incident came to light when a suicide note was found near Sanjay's body, revealing that the cause of his suicide was due to immense mental stress caused by his failure to provide "cut money" to the DFO. The town police in Bhawanipatna took charge and initiated an investigation after Sanjay's brother, Rabi Narayan Nayak, lodged a complaint at the police station.
The police summoned Behera to the station, but he refused to comply and fled. However, he eventually appeared at the police station on Friday, after receiving interim protection from arrest by the court. Along with Behera, Rayagada area ranger Prakash Rath and Bhubaneswar ACF Rajanikant Rout were also present at the station. The SDPO of Bhawanipatna, Sunaram Hembram, interrogated them for several hours, and the questioning continued the next day.
In his defense, DFO Debendra Behera denied any involvement in the suicide and claimed to be innocent. He stated that he was being falsely accused and had no knowledge of the suicide note. He also dismissed all the accusations made against him by the deceased forester, deeming them as false and unfounded. In light of the case being registered against him, Behera had applied for bail.
According to the deceased's family members, Sanjay wanted to work in Kalahandi district, but Behera had relieved him from his post. To get to the bottom of the matter, the CCF visited Jaring Hi-tech Nursery on Sunday and conducted a thorough investigation. The guards and the forester were interrogated, and various papers and documents were verified. The investigation is still ongoing, and more details are yet to be revealed.
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