3 From Bihar Set Dehradun Forest on Fire for 'More Views on Social Media', Held

Dehradun: Days after massive blaze engulfed forests in Uttarakhand, causing widespread damage to several hectares of land, police have arrested three men for allegedly setting fire to a forest in Gairsain area in Dehradun district. The accused had reportedly uploaded the video of the fire on social media platforms to “get more views.”

According to sources, police arrested the accused on Saturday after taking suo motu cognisance of the video doing rounds on the social media. The arrested accused have been identified as Brajesh Kunar, Sukhlal and Salman, all residents of Bihar. All accused work as labourers.

During investigation the accused admitted that they set the blaze to make a dramatic video in order to get more traction on social media and get popular. The trio were booked under relevant section of Forest Act and Indian Penal Code.

Police further urged the people to refrain from indulging in activities which can pose a risk to nature, emphasising that "starting a forest fire or promoting it is a criminal act which invites legal action. Anyone found guilty will be dealt with strictly as per the law. 

Massive Forest Fires in Uttarakhand

In the last week of April, massive fires had gripped multiple forests in Uttarakhand, prompting Army and Air Force's intervention. Visuals had emerged on social media platform X where the Army chopper were seen collecting water from Naini Lake to sprinkle on the fire-affected areas. An IAF Mi-17 helicopter was also seen carrying water from Bhimtal Lake to control the fire in Nainital which was raging for more that a day. The fire propelled the authorities to ban boating in Naini Lake. The fires were believed to have destroyed 33.34 hectares of forest land. On April 26, the fire became severe and three people were arrested in Rudraprayag for setting fire to the forests.The state had witnessed as many as 31 new incidents of forest fire in single day.

 575 Incidents of Forest Fire in 6 Months

From November 1 last year till April 27, a total of 575 incidents of forest fire were reported in the state, affecting 689.89 hectares of forest area and costing the state than Rs 14 lakh. Anil Joshi, a resident of the area and assistant registrar of the High Court had said, "The fire has engulfed an old and vacant house located near The Pines. It has not caused any damage to High Court Colony but it has reached dangerously close to the buildings. Efforts are being made to control the fire since evening."