Forest team attacked while stopping cultivation in forest in Khandwa:8 injured after encroachers assault officials in Khandwa

8 forest personnel were injured after an anti-encroachment drive in the Amakhujri forest under Khandwa’s Gudi Range turned violent on Sunday. The Forest Department alleged that around 400 encroachers attacked the team with slingshots and sticks while officials were attempting to clear encroachments. According to the department, the team had reached the forest to prevent people from sowing crops on forest land after the monsoon began. Around 40 forest personnel were carrying out the operation when a large crowd gathered at the site. Officials alleged that women were positioned at the front, preventing the team from taking immediate action. Meanwhile, people standing behind them allegedly pelted large stones using slingshots and attacked the personnel with sticks. The injured forest personnel include Jwala Singh, Romank Nayak, Shailendra Yadav, Rajendra Singh Saktawat, Rajendra Bagdi, Pradeep Baghel, Chandrapal Tomar, and Rahul Lodhi. Some sustained severe head injuries, while one suffered a partially severed ear. All the injured were admitted to the district hospital and are undergoing treatment. The injured personnel are members of a special flying squad recruited in 2025 to curb forest encroachments. Forest personnel allege delay in assistance The injured officials claimed they did not receive help for nearly two hours after the attack, alleging that neither police nor ambulances reached the spot promptly. The Forest Department has begun identifying those involved in the assault. Gudi Range Officer Narendra Patel said strict action would be taken against the accused after the investigation. Following the incident, forest personnel have also demanded permanent police protection during anti-encroachment operations in forest areas.