Forest officer loses finger after man attacks him for opposing illegal shed

KARWAR: A man attacked two Forest Department personnel with a machete after they asked him to dismantle an illegal temporary shed he had erected in a forest area. A Forest officer lost a finger in the incident.

Mahabaleshwar Chandu Maruthi (50), a resident Beelgod Balekai village, coming under Kansur forest region in Siddapur taluk, had erected a temporary shed illegally. When Deputy Range Forest Officer (DRFO) Vishwanath Thimmanaik (34) and Forest Guard Rajesh asked him to dismantle it, Chandu attacked them with a machete.

Deputy Range Forest Officer (DRFO) Vishwanath Thimmanaik lost a finger in the attack.

Vishwanath was rushed to the Sirsi taluk hospital where he is undergoing treatment. A case has been registered against Chandu for attempt to murder and obstructing a government official from discharging his duty at the Siddapur police station.