Forester held hostage in Odisha

BARIPADA: The villagers of Gopinathpur under Jashipur police limits in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district on Tuesday kept confined a forester and a casual worker demanding release of their two fellowmen who were taken into custody by the forest officials in connection with recent elephant poaching inside Similipal national park.Sources said the villagers held the forester of Nigirdha range Khirod Singh and a causal forest worker while they were returning to their office in the afternoon. The villagers demanded that two of their fellowmen, detained by the forest officials, be released immediately.Regional Conservator of Forest (RCF) Anup Nayak said four persons were detained in connection with the recent poaching of elephants inside the Similipal biosphere. While two were from Gopinathpur, two others were from nearby Parsia village. Both the villages fall under Nawana range of Similipal reserve forest.“The villagers have held hostage the forester and the worker demanding the release of the detainees. The IIC of Jashipur police station has rushed to the village along with two platoons of police force. The discussion is on to release the forester and the worker,” he said.