Three doctors among four booked for partying in Jamboti forest; four ‘Hescom staff’ on run

The Forest department has booked four people, including three doctors from Belagavi, under Section 24 of the Karnataka Forest Act for partying at the restricted area of Batwada Falls under Jamboti Reserve Forest.

The Forest department has booked Dr Shivakumar Puranikmath, Dr Santosh Revannavar, Dr Santosh Yenagimath and vehicle driver Praveen Kalgudi.

“All four had come to the Batwada Falls, which lies in Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary, in a Hescom jeep on July 30, along with four senior Hescom officials, to party at the restricted area. Deputy Range Forest Officer Nagaraj Nirvani and their team detained four people and seized liquor and utensils used to cook non-vegetarian food. However, four Hescom officials managed to flee. The department has launched a search for four others, said to be Hescom officials, indulged in partying at the protected area,” Range Forest Officer Kavitha Eranatti told DH.

Interestingly, the names of all four Hescom officials were not been included in the FIR.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Nitesh Patil has instructed the deputy conservator of the forest to register an FIR against four Hescom officials.