Bandipur Alcohol Party Rfo Suspended Karnataka Forest Department

The Karnataka Forest Department on Monday suspended a Range Forest Officer (RFO) for allowing a rowdy sheeter and his associates to hold an alcohol party near an anti-poaching camp in Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR).

Action was taken against D Puneeth, RFO of Maddur Wildlife Range, after the video of the party in the prohibited area went viral.

The images showed criminal Mahadev Prasad alias Satish, a resident of Gundlupet, and his aides Gangadhar and Chetan consuming liquor inside the core forest area, using a solar panel at the camp as a makeshift table. Plastic cups, a liquor bottle, and food packets were clearly visible, drawing sharp criticism from environmentalists.

Following widespread outrage, Bandipur Project Tiger Director Nandish ordered an inquiry. Based on the inquiry report, officers booked a case against the trio.

Acting on the inquiry report, Meenakshi Negi, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, issued suspension orders against RFO Puneeth, citing dereliction of duty. The suspension remains in effect pending a formal departmental inquiry into the incident.

The department has also booked Mahadev Prasad and his associates in another case.

Incidents of illegal entry to Bandipur Tiger Reserve have been reported in the past. In June 2025, officials posted at Bandipur under the ‘Friends of Bandipur’ initiative were accused of taking tourists into strictly protected anti-poaching camp zones — areas completely off-limits to the public under National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) regulations. In January 2025, two people were fined Rs 25,000 for illegally entering the national park to hold a photoshoot.