IFS Officer Santosha Gubbi was brutally attacked last year when he had gone out to investigate a poaching incident. The same officer is working relentlessly to ensure that no one in the village sleeps hungry due to the ongoing lockdown.
He is posted at the Sundarbans in West Bengal's South 24 Paraganas district and is doing all he can for the villagers even after the villagers had thrashed him with bamboos and stones. Gubbi and his team have been distributing aid among residents of that village following the lockdown. Not only one village but adjoining villages have also been benefitted by this initiative shown by the Forest Department.
Forest officials attacked with bamboo sticks, stones
On April 20 last year, a party of eight forest officials was attacked with bamboo sticks and stones after they went to a village in their division to investigate a poaching case and were trying to arrest an accused in a suspected tiger poaching case in the Sundarbans in West Bengal.
The gruesome incident had taken place in the South 24 Paraganas district, in which, the Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve lies.
Gubbi, along with his team, had gone after a tiger was found dead with a snare made of metal wire around its waist in Ajmalmari. Because the death was unnatural; it called for an investigation. Later, five people were arrested in that case.
Though commercial poaching does not happen in the Sunderbans but poaching for meat or accidental poaching does.
Despite being manhandled, Santosha has nothing against the villagers, including those who launched a murderous attack on him. Santosha stepped out to help the villagers as they could not go out fishing and hunt crab for food, which they normally do for sustaining life. He is now reaching out to villagers and giving them ration and other basic amenities during the lockdown period.
Twitter was all praises for the forest official and appreciated him for the work.
A user said, "Salute to the less known forest soldiers."
While Sitanshu Pandey, IFS, said, "Forest dependent Communities are the most vulnerable. To help them in times of distress is the most noble deed one can do with a smiling face and with smiling eyes. Thumbs up Kudos & Salute to @SanthoshaGubbi. This will also motivate others to step up & perform one's service towards them. Much needed."
