A major controversy has taken the Forest department by storm in Kottayam after one of its range officers, who investigated the alleged cultivation of ganja at a forest station, was transferred as a punishment.
The controversy revolves around the transfer of B.R. Jayan, who served as the range officer (RO) in Erumely, to Malappuram recently. Official sources stated that the transfer was prompted by allegations of his involvement in mentally harassing officials stationed at the Placherry forest station.
According to a senior forest official, the episode began when a few ganja saplings were discovered in an abandoned building within the forest station premises. “A preliminary investigation confirmed that one of the forest watchers associated with the station had apparently been using ganja for some time. While the investigation also revealed that the saplings inside the building had grown from seeds left by this official, the RO allegedly threatened to implicate several other officials from the station in the case,” he said.
