Gujarat CM hands over Rs 50 lakh aid to family of RFO who died chasing smugglers

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Friday visited the Forest Martyrs’ Memorial in Gandhinagar on the occasion of National Forest Martyr’s Day and handed a cheque of Rs 50 lakh from the benevolent fund to the family of the late Range Forest Officer (RFO) Vikas Desai.

Apart from this, Rs 2 lakh was handed over to a forest department personnel who was injured in wildlife conflict recently.

A government statement said that September is observed as National Forest Martyrs’ Day with an intention to honour the sacrifice of the frontline forest staff – including forest guards, foresters and Range Forest officers – who laid down their lives protecting forest and wildlife. On this day, the country remembers the sacrifice of martyrs, which inspires future generations and strengthens citizens’ sensitivity and commitment for protecting forests and wildlife, it said.

CM Patel paid tribute to the dedication and sense of duty of the 11 forest personnel from the state who lost their lives in the line of duty while protecting forests and wildlife since 1981.

In July, Vikas Desai, South Gujarat’s Tapi district RFO, died in an accident while trying to intercept the illegal transport of timber, disregarding his own safety. Expressing his condolences to Desai’s family, CM Patel met them at the Forest Martyrs Memorial and handed over financial assistance of Rs 50 lakh. He also honoured Kalubhai Boghabhai Parmar— a forest department worker injured in an encounter with a lion on July 6, 2026 — and handed over a cheque for Rs 2 lakh as financial assistance.

Forest and Environment Minister Arjun Modhwadia and Minister of State Pravinkumar Mali also joined the Chief Minister in paying tribute to the forest martyrs. The event was attended by BJP MLA Ritaben Patel, City Organisation President Dr Ashishbhai Dave, Principal Secretary of the Forest and Environment Department R C Meena, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force Dr. Jaypal Singh, the Chairman of the All India Forest Association (Delhi), and dignitaries from the Forest Departments of Himachal, Jharkhand, Odisha and Uttarakhand, along with a large number of forest personnel, were present.