Over a month after Range Forest Officer Dipali Chavan-Mohite’s suicide, the Maharashtra Police on Wednesday night arrested suspended Indian Forest Service officer MS Reddy. MS Reddy was the Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR) Field Director who got suspended the last month. Maharashtra Vanrakshak-Vanpal Association executive president Hiranand M Mishra told a news agency on Thursday, “Following a high-level enquiry conducted in the past one month by an IPS officer, an offence was registered against Reddy on Wednesday. He was nabbed by the Dharni Police from the forest officers housing complex in Civil Lines here late last evening,”.
On March 25, Dipali Chavan-Mohite, 28-year-old Range Forest Officer who is also known as ‘Lady Singham’ for her boldness against the forest mafia, had shot herself at her official quarters in Harisal village near the MTR with a service revolver. A four-page suicide note was found in her room in which she had accused Vinod Shivkumar, Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) of professional torture and sexual harassment. Reddy’s name was also in it, claiming that he ignored her complaints. In the note, she had written, how Shivkumar tortured her and sexually harassed her. When she rejected his advances, he punished her with long jungle walks or rides even though she was pregnant, which led to a miscarriage. He also abused Dipali both in public and private, gave difficult assignments, and once withheld her salary. “Though she complained against Shivkumar to his senior Reddy, he ignored her plea for justice which may have prompted her to resort to the extreme step,” said her colleagues.
Shivkumar was arrested on March 26 evening as he tried to flee from Nagpur to Bengaluru. Reddy was arrested more than a month after Dipali’s suicide. Both the officials were suspended late last month.
Known for her integrity, the case of Dipali’s suicide had sparked a major controversy in government and officials circles. Maharashtra Women and Child Welfare Minister and Guardian Minister of Amravati Yashomati Thakur called Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, demanding strict action against the accused last month.
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