"My tigress is no more, what is the use of preserving forest'

Deepali Chavan's grief-stricken mother Shakuntala Chavan has commented that "Deepali preserved the forest. But my tigress is no more," adding that the deceased forest officer had knocked on every possible door for help but did not get any. Meanwhile, another twist has cropped up in the case with a letter of Deepali to her husband mentioning a person by the name of Manisha Uike and alleging that Uike 'ruined' her life.

Satara (Maharashtra): Deepali’s grief-stricken mother Shakuntala Chavan, while sobbing remarked that "Deepali preserved the forest. But my tigress is no more. She was visibly uncontrollable with anger and said that, if you are not able to hang the responsible officer for the death of my daughter, bring before me and I will hang him. I am ready to face whatever action government will take. She expressed regret that, had timely action taken against the guilty, her daughter would have been alive now. Nobody came to her rescue Shakuntala Chavan further said that Deepali had met MPs and MLAs from Vidarbha and related her miserable saga. She had especially told her story to MP from Amravati - Navneet Rana. But, nobody pursued the matter till its final conclusion. She had met many influential people but nobody came to her rescue."

Shakuntala Chavan, unable to control her grief said that her daughter was educated without any support. She was posted directly to Melghat after selection, where even a basic facility like a phone is lacking. She still continued her job without complaining. She has no sister or any other relatives. Shakuntala Chavan reiterated how senior officers harassed Deepali while she was in service. She was being deliberately harassed by levelling false charges, said the mother.

A new twist comes up in the Deepali Chavan suicide case

Amravati: The suicide case of forest range officer Deepali Chavan working in the Melghat tiger project is turning out to be full of twists and turns. A new name Manisha Uike has been surfaced in another letter written by the victim, which has baffled the investigators. Deepali committed suicide by shooting herself last Thursday and the entire forest department was shocked.

Police have recovered a suicide note addressed to chief conservator Srinivas Reddy written by Deepali, which mentions that senior officer Vinod Shivkumar had been responsible for her death. Consequently, Shivkumar has been arrested and Reddy transferred to Nagpur. The court had remanded Shivkumar to police custody till 29th of March. Now, a new twist has come up in this matter with the recovery of another letter written by Deepali, in which she has made allegations against one Manisha Uike.

Deepali's letter to her husband

In an emotional letter addressed to her husband Rajesh Mohite, Deepali has mentioned the name of Manisha Uike and cursed her. This letter is with ETV Bharat. In the letter, Deepali says that Manisha would never be happy in her life. Deepali has also blamed Manisha for ruining her life. Now, the investigators are baffled by the mention of Manisha Uike as they will have to search for this woman now.

The case

Deepali Chavan, originally hailing from Satara, joined the forest department in 2014 through a selection by MPSC. She was first posted at Dhulghat Railway as a range forest officer and later transferred to Harisal in 2019. She had been entrusted with the responsibility of rehabilitation of several villages situated under the Harisal forest range.

Despite an inadequate staff of forest guards and labourers, she successfully rehabilitated Mangiya village. The tribals in the area tried to confine her. When she informed Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Vinod Shivkumar about the incident, he did not come to her rescue. On the contrary, he charged her with lying. When a case of atrocity was registered against her on the complaint of tribals, instead of helping, Shivkumar humiliated her. In addition, Deepali Chavan has levelled several serious charges against Shivkumar.

Deepali in happier times

According to the suicide note, he used to call her anytime in the night on patrol and pass lewd comments. He used to call her at camp and try to take advantage of her loneliness. Deepali in her detailed suicide note has further alleged that Vinod Shivkumar always used to humiliate her at Harisal in full public view because she did not respond to his ill-intended advances. Even her salary was withheld and she was being extremely harassed. Deepali writes, "when I was pregnant, Shivkumar even denied me permission to visit Amravati at my in-laws' house."