Forest official in Madhya Pradesh suspended for 'forging' documents to get promotion

MHOW: A forest deputy ranger here in Madhya Pradesh has been suspended from service for allegedly producing forged documents to get promotion, an official said on Sunday.

However, deputy ranger R S Dubey claimed he was suspended as had complained against MP Culture Minister Usha Thakur in January this year for allegedly not allowing him to perform his official duty.

Talking to PTI, Divisional Forest Officer, Indore, Narendra Pandya said, "A staffer, Mukesh Yadav, had submitted a written complaint against Dubey, stating that the latter produced forged documents for getting promoted as deputy ranger from forest guard."

As the complaint was submitted before the coronavirus-induced lockdown, it took time to investigate the charge, the official said.

"The allegation was found correct following which the deputy ranger was suspended from service two days ago," the official said.

When contacted, Dubey claimed senior officers and local politicians were "after him" since the day he complained against Mhow MLA and state minister Thakur in January this year.

He alleged that his seniors were continuously trying to find fault, even a minor one, with him.

"Some teams had visited forest compartments falling under my jurisdiction in search of any encroachments on forestland, but they were not able to find any.

Finally, they have suspended me on this very old issue of forged documents on an allegation of one of my colleagues,” he said.

Dubey said he will move court against the suspension order.

Earlier, he had alleged that Thakur, along with some supporters, barged into the forest office premises at Badgonda on January 10 and forcibly took away an earth-moving machine and a tractor-trolley seized over digging work in the protected area in Badgonda.

Badgonda is a part of the Mhow Assembly seat represented by Thakur.

After Dubey had sought registration of a police case against the minister, he was transferred from Badgonda in Mhow tehsil to Manpur.

Dubey said his transfer was quashed following a court's direction in March this year.