Haldwani: Uttarakhand is set to establish a permanent memorial for forest personnel who have lost their lives in the line of duty, with the Van Shaheed Smriti Sthal being developed at the Uttarakhand Forestry Training Academy (UFTA) in Haldwani.
The memorial will document the contributions of forest personnel who died while protecting forests and wildlife, including those who confronted timber and wildlife smugglers, forest fires, armed groups and dangerous wild animals.
Memorial to document forest personnel who died in service
The proposed memorial will display photographs and citations of forest personnel who lost their lives while performing their duties.
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According to officials, the initiative will include:
- Forest personnel who served in Uttarakhand.
- Personnel who worked in the region before Uttarakhand was created in 2000, when the area was part of undivided Uttar Pradesh.
- Rangers trained at UFTA who later died while serving in other states.
- Permanent as well as temporary, contractual, third-party and daily-wage personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty.
More than 50 names likely to be included
UFTA has sought records from forest divisions across Uttarakhand to compile details of personnel who died in the line of duty.
Officials said divisions including Tarai East, Kedarnath Wildlife and Kalagarh Tiger Reserve have already submitted citations for more than 30 personnel. The final list is expected to contain more than 50 names, with the compilation still underway.
Memorial to be inaugurated by martyrs’ families
UFTA Director Sanjeev Chaturvedi said the memorial is intended to give recognition and respect to forest personnel whose sacrifices have largely remained confined to departmental records.
“The purpose of building this memorial is to give forest personnel recognition and respect.”
He said the memorial is expected to be inaugurated at the end of October, with the families of the forest personnel who died in the line of duty participating in the event. Details of additional personnel identified later will also be incorporated into the memorial.
Honouring sacrifices across decades
The records being compiled include personnel who died in different circumstances while protecting forests and wildlife.
One such case dates back to May 1992, when Assistant Conservator of Forests Ram Avtar and Deputy Ranger Pan Singh of the Tarai West Forest Division were killed during an encounter with terrorists amid heightened militant activity in the Tarai region.
The memorial at the Haldwani academy will also serve as a permanent record for future generations of forest officials and trainees, documenting the personnel who lost their lives while carrying out forest protection duties.
BJP Uttarakhand Unit Welcomes Initiative
The initiative has also received support from the BJP Uttarakhand unit, which described the proposed memorial as a “historic step” under Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to honour forest personnel who sacrificed their lives while protecting the state’s forests and wildlife.
In a social media post, the party said the memorial would recognise the contribution and sacrifice of those who served in forest protection.
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