Burning question: who’s accountable for Rajgarh’s forest fires?

According to the 2023 'India State of Forest Report', Rajgarh, in Madhya Pradesh, has lost 0.43 square kilometres of forest cover in the last two years. The size of the forest is about 43 hectares, or about the size of 60 football fields.

Adding to the problem are the cases of forest fires. With the onset of summer, forest fires in Rajgarh are increasing. This year, there have been four recorded forest fire incidents between March and April.

According to the Forest Department, fires broke out across four separate beats, though the causes remain unknown. However, the department’s response has come under scrutiny. A Ground Report investigation reveals that officials may have downplayed the severity of these incidents.

According to data presented in Parliament, Madhya Pradesh recorded an average of 66 forest fire incidents per day during 2023–24. Figures from the Large Forest Fire Monitoring Program—run by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change—show that Madhya Pradesh reported the highest number of large active fires in the country between April 27 and May 3, 2025. Of the 315 large fires reported nationwide that week, 98 were in Madhya Pradesh. Maharashtra followed with 50 incidents.

Affected areas and damage

According to the Rajgarh Forest Department, forest fires broke out in Kantora and Gopalpura West beats under the Biaora Range and in Jalpa and Chhayan beats under the Rajgarh Range. More than 10 hectares of land were affected.

 However, the official report (panchnama) prepared by the Forest Department does not reflect the full extent of the damage. For example, in the case of Jalpa Beat, the report mentions only the burning of weeds and dry wood. But a ground visit revealed that several trees were also burnt—none of which were mentioned in the department’s report.

 Chain Singh Gurjar, the watchman on 24-hour duty at Jalpa Beat, recalled the forest fire incident.

“It was Navami, and we were at the temple that day. Suddenly, we noticed smoke rising from the forest. Fortunately, we managed to bring the fire under control within an hour,” he said.

Singh stated that he was unsure of the fire's cause. Since it occurred on Ram Navami, he noted that other officials were also at the temple at the time.

“Fires break out every summer,” he added, “but it’s hard to predict exactly when they’ll happen.”

Jalpa Beat in-charge Raju Gurjar provided more detailed information. He said, “ Jalpa Beat covers 496 hectares, and about 3 hectares were affected by the fire. Similar incidents have occurred in other parts of the district as well.”

According to Gurjar , forest fires are common in the area, especially during the summer. The village road runs through the forest, and frequent movement of tractors and trolleys increases the risk of accidental fires.

Fire extinguishing action

To probe Chain Singh’s assertion that the fire was extinguished within an hour, Ground Report spoke to Yogendra Singh Bhati, head of the Rajgarh Municipality fire brigade. Bhati was directly involved in the firefighting operation at Jalpa on Ram Navami.

 “As soon as we got the alert, we reached the site without delay,” Bhati said. “Both our small and large fire tenders were deployed. We took the vehicle as far as the terrain allowed and began tackling the flames. After our team initially responded, the forest department staff continued to douse the fire with their equipment. The operation went on for more than two hours.”

Bhati’s account raises questions about Chain Singh’s claim, suggesting that the fire may have been more serious and prolonged than initially stated.

Forest range officer Shiv Kumar Chauhan also showed the fire extinguisher blower from the forest department to the ground report team. Explaining about the blower, Shiv Kumar says, 

“To extinguish forest fires, the Forest Department team uses blower equipment in those areas of the forest where the fire brigade cannot reach. “

Shiv Kumar explains that the blower is run in the opposite direction to where the fire occurs.  Its pressure is so strong that the fire gets extinguished immediately. This blower runs on petrol.

Cause and investigation

Forest Range Officer Shiv Kumar Chauhan said that the fires in the Jalpa and Chhayan beats of the Rajgarh Range broke out due to unknown reasons. He maintained that no trees were damaged in either incident.

“In the Jalpa Beat fire on March 31, 2025, only grass and weeds were burnt,” he said. The case has been registered as an unknown forest crime and is being investigated by Deputy Ranger O.P. Dangi. 

Chauhan added that the fire in Chhayan Beat affected around 7 hectares. This instance too has been recorded as an unknown case, with the investigation also assigned to the deputy ranger.

Forest range officer Shiv Kumar Chauhan believes human negligence to be the cause of the fire. The officer says that  "There is a footpath-like path in the villages passing through the forest; from there, someone came out smoking a beedi; he may have thrown the beedi there. Someone may have set The fire was caused by an internal dispute. To investigate this, a case of forest crime has been issued, which is the subject of investigation." 

On the question of how these incidents are investigated, Chauhan says, "The villagers of the village around where the fire occurs are interrogated and their statements are recorded. If an individual reveals their identity, the authorities register the case from unknown to known. 

Currently, this matter is under investigation, and until the investigation is complete, the authorities cannot provide a clear reason for this incident. 

The ground report team talked to Biaora Forest Range Officer Devkaran Bhilala regarding the fire that broke out in the month of April in the forest of Kantora and Gopalpura West Beat under Biaora range of Rajgarh district. Devkaran said that a nominal area of ​​about 0.2 hectares was affected in Kantora beat. In Gopalpura West, about one hectare of forest has been affected. 

The causes of forest fires in these places are still unknown. Similar to previous instances, we are currently investigating a case of unknown origin.

Lack of safety measures

Officials of the Rajgarh Forest Department have mentioned the footpaths and other paths going through the forest. According to him, the risk of forest fire spreading increases due to human negligence in these places. However, if we talk about these trails and other paths in the forest, the ground reporting team investigated more than a kilometre of Jalpa Beat. 

Our team did not find a single caution board saying, “Do not throw burning objects here.” Based on the statement of the Jalpa Beet watchman, this area connects approximately 5 to 7 villages. Villagers also keep coming and going on this route in their two-wheelers or on foot. In such a situation, the Forest Department's failure to issue any warnings casts significant doubt on the preparations for forest protection. 

A beat in charge is responsible for safeguarding the forest, which includes preventing fires, clearing dry leaves that can serve as fuel, and maintaining general fire safety. However, the recent forest fires across four beats in Rajgarh suggest a troubling pattern of negligence—both from local villagers and Forest Department staff.

 When asked about accountability, Chauhan responded, “We have already issued a letter to the beat in charge regarding this matter.”

It is worth noting that, if we talk about forest area in Rajgarh district, there is a nominal forest area of ​​172.88 square kilometres, i.e., 2.81 percent.  For its protection and security, the Forest Department personnel claim to be constantly in the field. However, every summer, forest fires occur here, causing significant damage to the forests. 

This is not the first forest fire in Rajgarh. According to the recent India State of Forest Report, such incidents have occurred regularly. Rajgarh recorded eight forest fires in 2022–23 and six in 2023–24. The summer of 2025 has just begun, yet four fires have already been reported. Despite this pattern, there is little evidence of clear warnings or preparedness by the Forest Department. Panchnama makes no mention of any burnt trees, and both the cause of the fires and those responsible remain officially "unknown".

Edited by Diwash Gahatraj

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