The Madhya Pradesh government has suspended a forest officer posted at the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) for allegedly threatening a person who complained against him on the chief minister’s helpline, officials said.

A video had gone viral in which Assistant Forest Conservator Dilip Kumar Maratha, posted at the BTR in Umaria district, was seen threatening and using abusive language against the complainant, a government release on Saturday (September 7, 2024) said without elaborating.

The State government has suspended Maratha with immediate effect. He has been attached to the forest department headquarters in Bhopal during the suspension period, it said.