Idukki: The state government has given sanction for the criminal prosecution of 13 staff of the forest department who are accused in a case related to false implication of a tribal youth, Sarun Saji, for poaching.

Upputhura police registered a case in 2022 after a complaint was filed that the youth was summoned to Keezhukonam section forest office and a false case was registered against him.

He was coerced to plead guilty and was assaulted in custody, according to the case. The accused were also slapped with a section under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act after it was alleged that they verbally abused him with casteist slur. 

The state police chief had sought the sanction of the government for criminal prosecution against the accused. Principal chief conservator (Administration) has communicated that the officials accused in the case acted in an erratic manner instead of conducting a fair investigation to unravel the truth and there was no reason to deny prosecution sanction. 

The accused in the case include V Anilkumar, section forest officer; Lenin VC, beat forest officer; Jimmy Joseph, forest driver; Mohanan KN, forest watcher; Shijiraj N R, Beat Forest Officer; Jayakumar KT, forest watcher; Leelamani T K, forest watcher, Rahul B, Divisional Forest Officer, Shibin Das C, beat forest officer and Mahesh B K, beat forest officer. 

The forest department had charged a case against Sarun, saying that he was carrying the meat of a wild animal in his autorickshaw. A high-level inquiry later found out that it was a bogus case, and the meat was planted in his autorickshaw.