Poro (Alipurduar), Feb. 10: Members of the North Bengal Forest Mazdoor Union — affiliated to the RSP — and Congress supporters locked the beat and range offices under Buxa Tiger Reserve (west) today to protest against the death of a 19-year-old cowherd, who was shot by forest guards.

Yesterday, the protesters had gheraoed A.P. Singh, the deputy field director of BTR (west) at Rajabhatkhawa Rest House, and the auction of timber had to be called off.

Shyamul Rava died after foresters suspecting him to be a timber smuggler fired from a double barrel gun.

Fulu Rava claimed that the post-mortem report has revealed that his cousin Shyamul had been beaten up with a stick. “There were marks on his body. The Madarihat BDO Topdeo lama who conducted the inquest yesterday told us that he had been assaulted,” said Fulu.

In the morning, Mohon Sharma, the president of the Kalchini Block Congress Committee, visited Padman Rava, Shyamul’s father. Padman had lost his daughter Sridevi a month ago to illness.

Sharma said his party would demonstrate in front of the Damanpur range office and demand compensation for the family, punishment for the guilty and a job for Padman.

Sharma said if no initiative was taken within a week, the Congress leader, along with Shyamul’s parents, would start a hunger strike in front of Singh’s office for an indefinite period.

Manohar Tirki, the PWD minister of state and local MLA, also visited Padman. “The forest department has to compensate the family and give a job to one of the kin. Until the guilty forest staff members are punished, we will not allow any range office to open. On the 12th of this month, I will accompany Shyamul’s parents to meet the SDO of Alipurduar.”