Panchkula, April 28 — Four youths — two boys and two girls — were booked after allegedly setting fire to a protected pine forest near Morni’s Balag Mod village and assaulting a forest guard who tried to stop them.
The group was later apprehended at a police checkpoint along with their vehicle.
The divisional forest officer (DFO) of Morni-Pinjore forest division, Vishal Kaushik, stated in his complaint that the incident unfolded when a vehicle entered compartment number 132 of the protected area.
According to the DFO, the group smoked cigarettes inside the forest, and one of them reportedly threw a lit cigarette into the dry undergrowth, igniting a blaze.
Forest guard Sanjeev Kumar, who was patrolling the area, spotted the group and attempted to intervene.
However, the youths allegedly manhandled him, misbehaved, and threatened him before fleeing in their vehicle.
“The guard was threatened with dire consequences for trying to perform his duty,” Kaushik said.
After receiving a call from the forest staff, DFO Kaushik immediately alerted the deputy commissioner’s office and shared the vehicle’s details with all police checkpoints through the control room.
Acting swiftly, forest officials intercepted the vehicle at the Berwala checkpoint and informed the Chandimandir police station.
“A PCR team reached the spot, and the four accused along with the vehicle were handed over to the police,” the DFO said.
The accused were identified as Saurabh, Prabhjeet, and their two female companions. Based on Kaushik’s complaint, Chandimandir police registered an FIR under Sections 326(F) (using fire or explosives to harm property), 221 (obstructing a public servant in discharge of duty), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), and 132 (use of criminal force against a public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Forest guard Sanjeev Kumar, who was occupied with efforts to extinguish the fire, is expected to record a detailed statement separately and assist the police in further identifying the culprits during the investigation.
While immediate action helped in containing the blaze, officials said the assessment of the full ecological damage caused by the fire remains pending.
