THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The forest department has recommended to the Chief Secretary to suspend IFS officer N T Sajan, conservator of forests (Social Forestry), Northern Range, in connection with the Muttil tree felling controversy. The report from forest secretary says the official had tried to mislead the investigation. It also states that there were attempts within the forest department to frame Meppadi forest range officer M K Sameer who unearthed the irregularities behind the illegal felling of trees at Muttil in Wayanad.
Chief Secretary V P Joy is learnt to have handed over the recommendation to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. However, the chief minister, in the media briefing on Saturday, said he was not aware of the development.
Officer tried to mislead probe: Report
The probe conducted by Northern Range Chief Forest Conservator D K Vinod Kumar had reportedly found that Sajan tried to implicate Sameer in the Muttil tree felling case. It is reliably learnt that the report submitted by Sajan, who probed the Muttil case initially, had put the blame on Wayanad DFO Ranjith Kumar, Meppadi Forest Range Officer M K Sameer and deputy Forest Range Officer K P Abhilash, who had, in fact, identified the irregularities behind felling of trees.
Also, he allegedly threatened a temporary driver so that false statements could be recorded against Sameer and his team. The new report by the forest department recommending action against Sajan states he tried to save the real culprits by putting the blame on honest officers. Earlier there was a departmental probe against Sajan following information that while serving as forest range officer in Kasaragod, he helped sandalwood factories which had been operating illegally.