[1]“They threatened to throw my brother into the river full of crocodiles, pulled my mother’s hair and beat up my father before my eyes,” says a grieving Megha, recalling the nightmarish experience that saw her father, Madan Nayak, pay with his life for merely doing his duty as a forester. The Assistant Conservator of Forests was allegedly brutally beaten up by a group of revellers that included government and police officials, on Sunday, when he tried to stop them feeding crocodiles in a river near a private resort in the Dandeli-Anshi tiger reserve.
The forest officer succumbed to his injuries in a hospital in Dharwad Tuesday night. “We were waiting for this family reunion not realising this would be the last time we saw our father. As my mother lives in Hubli with my brother and I study in Bengaluru we hardly get time to spend as a family. We were happy to meet on Sunday and my father prepared lunch for us before we went to the temple,” recalls Megha, who is doing her MSc. in Bengaluru. She arrived in Dandeli a day before the family gathered, not realising what was in store for them.
“When my father told the group not to feed the crocodiles, some of them began abusing him. Sensing danger my father started walking towards the car to inform other foresters on his cell phone about what was going on. But before he could reach the car, the men and women in the group attacked us. Three men caught me and began to beat and kick me. I am still not able to breathe properly as a result,” adds Megha, pain and anger in her voice. “When my father came back he rushed to help us but the group turned on him instead. My mother is in a state of shock and we are worried about her,” she sobs.
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