Allegations of the purported abduction of Salil Dalvi, the manager of the Bear Valley Camp in Panna Tiger Reserve, and the forcible removal of goods from the resort have led to a challenge in the High Court. Serious accusations have been leveled against forest officials of Panna Tiger Reserve in this regard. Justice Vinay Saraf’s bench has directed the respondents to submit their responses in the case. The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for May 13.
The case has been filed by Salil Dalvi, represented by advocate Gopal Singh Baghel. He claimed that they manage the Bear Valley Camp resort. It is alleged that forest department officials retaliated against them for not providing free services to relatives of department officials and employees by conducting malicious actions. It is alleged that on April 4, 2024, a search warrant was issued for their Bear Valley Camp resort by 13 officials including Panna Tiger Reserve Director Anjana Tirki, Deputy Director Mohit Sood, and others. Not only that, it is alleged that all the CCTV cameras installed in the resort, along with the goods found in the resort, were taken away. The petitioner was also allegedly abducted forcibly.
It is alleged that the respondents confiscated the petitioner’s mobile phone and roamed in the forest for six hours. Upon this, the petitioner’s wife sought help from the Panna SP and sent a copy of the complaint to their WhatsApp. After this, the petitioner was released and sent to the camp, and the investigation of the case was handed over to the Panna SDOP. In the case, the Chief Secretary of the Forest and Home Department, PCF, SP Panna, Ajaygarh Thana in-charge, Field Director Panna Tiger Reserve Anjana Tirki, Deputy Director Mohit Sood, Assistant Director Devendra Ahirwar, Ranger Prateek Agrawal, Deputy Ranger Pramod Shukla, Ranger CP Prajapati, Rahul Purohit, and Deputy Ranger Ajit Singh have been made respondents. After the hearing, the court directed the government lawyer to present the response in the case, and the next hearing is scheduled for May 13.
