Lok Sabha Question No. 1973 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-02-12
Subject: Death of Forest Guards
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Nitesh Ganga Deb, Imtiaz Jaleel Syed, Asaduddin Owaisi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOKSABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO: 1973 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.02.2021

## Death of Forest Guards

1973.  SHRI NITESH GANGA DEB: SHRI SYED IMTIAZ JALEEL:

SHRI ASADUDDIN OWAISI:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether as per a study thirty one percent of fatal accidents of forest rangers between 20122017 occurred in India;
- (b)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  total  number  of  deaths  of  forest  guards  recorded across the country during each of the last three years and the current year, State/UT-wise;
- (c)  whether  unarmed  forest  officials  are  most  vulnerable  in  guarding  forest  and  animals  from poachers who are equipped with high quality arms and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether some States are providing arms to certain forest officials in accordance to their rank;
- (e)  if  so,  whether  the  Hon'ble  Supreme Court has urged the Union Government and the State Governments to equip forest officials on ground duty with arms and bullet proof jackets; and
- (f)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  steps  taken  or  being  taken  by  Government  in  consultation with States in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE  IN THE  MINISTRY  OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

- (a)
- No such official report is available with the Ministry. There  is  a  non-official  global  forum  namely  International  Ranger  Federation which publishes Roll of Honour every year enlisting deaths of Rangers naturally or otherwise. This report has not been authenticated/verified by the Government.
- (b) As reported by States and Union Territories, number of forest officials who lost their lives in previous years is given in Annexure 1.
- (c) Yes sir. The frontline forest officers and staff fearlessly protect our forest and wildlife and fight with wildlife poachers, timber smugglers and encroachers. It is  true that in this commendable effort to protect our forest and wild life they have laid down their lives. Their martyrdom and efforts have been acknowledged for  the  first  time  at  the  national  level  and  25  forest  staff  have been  given  the  certificate  of  recognition  posthumously  on  the  Forest  Martyrs Day on 11 September 2020.
- (d) As  per  information  received  from  the  States  and  Union  Territories  (UTs),the State/UT of Andaman  and  Nicobar  Islands, Andhra  Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh,  Maharashtra,  Meghalaya,  Mizoram,  Nagaland,  Odisha,  Rajasthan, Sikkim,  Tamil  Nadu,  Tripura,  Uttar  Pradesh,  Uttarakhand  and  West  Bengal

have provided arms to different levels of frontline staff including Forest Guards and Forest Rangers Officers. In the State of Manipur, procurement of arms is under process.

- (e) & (f) In the order  by the Hon'ble  Supreme  Court  in  I.A.  No.  941/2021  and Interlocutory Application Nos. 94310, 94313 and 94317/2020 dated 08.01.2021, the  Hon'ble Supreme Court has directed the Home Secretary of the respective States/Union Territories to submit report within a period of four weeks on the prayers made in the Interlocutory Application.

*****

ANNEXURE-I

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1973 DUE FOR  12.02.2021  REGARDING  DEATH  OF  FOREST  GUARDS  ASKED  BY  SHRI NITESH  GANGA  DEB,  SHRI  SYED  IMTIAZ  JALEEL  AND  SHRI  ASADUDDIN OWAISI

|   S. No | State/UT       |   Death of Forest Officials in previous years |
|---------|----------------|-----------------------------------------------|
|       1 | Andhra Pradesh |                                            19 |
|       2 | Bihar          |                                             9 |
|       3 | Madhya Pradesh |                                             4 |
|       4 | Maharashtra    |                                             4 |
|       5 | Manipur        |                                             3 |
|       6 | Mizoram        |                                             1 |
|       7 | Telangana      |                                            21 |
|       8 | Tripura        |                                             1 |