Using ruling party licence to loot!

On Friday, they even snatched away timber seized by forest guards.

Sources said forest department officials and guards seized two timber laden buffalo carts in Charaljani bit area Friday morning. But the timber thieves snatched the timbers from them, saying they are BNP men. They also threatened them of retaliation.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

The timber trees were stolen from Jhatarbaid area of the reserve forest and loaded on two buffalo carts. A team of forest guards led by Forester of Charaljani bit seized the stolen timber. The miscreants snatched the timbers and brought those to Aurunkhola Union Parishad office.

A case was filed with Madhupur police in connection with Friday's incident, a senior forest official told some local journalists.

On Saturday last another group of ruling party occupied a land in Berbaid area in the forest and constructed a building there.

Being informed, a team led by some local ruling party activists beat for forest guards and snatched their arms as they tried to protest, the sources said.

Talking to this correspondent, some indigenous people in Charaljani forest bit alleged that the land grabbers and plunderers having strong backing from ruling party men. The timber thieves have been cutting valuable trees from the reserve forest and land plunderers are occupying forestlands, they alleged.