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The eyes of the jungle: A new study sheds light on the harsh and unsafe conditions forest guards in India have to work under
ByRizwan MithawalaRizwan Mithawala / Updated: Jan 17, 2021, 07:08 IST
Photo by Anish Andheria
A new study sheds light on the harsh and unsafe conditions forest guards in India have to work under.
Twenty-four-year-old Deepu Rana, a forest guard with the Madhya Pradesh forest department, was out on patrol on May 4 last year, in the Ghatigaon forest, west of Gwalior city, when he heard a gunshot. As he walked in the direction of the sound, he came face-toface with a poacher and his catch, a dead jungle fowl. Before he could take stock of the situation, the poacher fired at him and fled the scene. Rana was rushed to the hospital, where he died within minutes of arrival.