‘Harassed’ by VB, forest officer moves human rights panel

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 28

Days after state Chief Conservator of Forests Harsh Kumar was booked by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau for allegedly submitting a fake appreciation letter to the government in a bid to get adverse remarks removed from his annual confidential report (ACR), the officer has moved the National Human Rights Commission against the Vigilance Bureau.

Alleging harassment at hands of the Vigilance Bureau officials, the forest officer in his complaint has stated that he had been booked for challenging the state government for declining his promotion to the post of Chief Conservator of Forest, to which he got entitled in 2008.

He has contested that the letter being quoted by the Vigilance was never used in an appeal to get any promotional benefit from the state or Centre. Moreover, the case in question does not involve any kind of corruption and hence the Vigilance did not have jurisdiction to entertain and probe the case.

The officer has alleged that he is facing the music for questioning the role of a senior IAS officer in the case of illicit felling of 25,000 trees along the Bist Doab Canal.

The officer along with Ajay Palta, Director, Palta Engineering Works Pvt Ltd, Jalandhar, has also been booked under Sections 420, 465, 467, 468, 471, 474 and 120-B of the IPC. Then Chief Forest Conservator had written some adverse comments in Harsh Kumar’s ACR of 2014-15 and the latter had submitted a request to the Forest Minister for omitting the negative notes on the basis of a “appreciation letter”.