Rajasthan Man Beaten To Death, Relatives Blame Forest Officials

A tree-feller allegedly died after his vehicle was stopped and he was beaten by a group of people in Rajasthan's Alwar district late Thursday night, said police.

The family of the victim, Wasim, has accused forest personnel of thrashing him to death but the cops are yet to ascertain the facts.

Wasim, 27, allegedly used to cut trees in forest areas and send the woods to Haryana without informing the forest department, police said.

He was travelling through Narol village with two others when a group of people stopped his pickup vehicle and thrashed them.

On information, the cops reached Narol village but the attackers had fled by then. They took the injured to a local hospital and Wasim was referred to Kotpuli Hospital where he died due to his injuries, said police.

The victim's relatives, however, had another version surrounding the incident.

Wasim's cousin Asif said they had gone to Rampur village to cut a tree after striking a deal with its owner. He said they were told a forest outpost was nearby and they might be penalised for it, so they left without the wood.

A forest department vehicle had followed them when they were returning and used a JCB vehicle to stop them, their grandfather added. He alleged the three men were then beaten with sticks by seven-eight people.

A case has been registered and five people detained in this connection, reportedly some forest personnel too. A JCB vehicle and a jeep have been seized as well.

An investigation is on into the alleged role of forest department personnel in the incident, said police.