Bhubaneswar, March 3 -- Sambalpur: Odisha government has suspended a forest official for negligence in protection of elephants during his tenure that resulted in number of jumbo deaths in the district.

"On February 6, the PCCF has initiated departmental proceedings against Sadar forest ranger Gouri Shankar Dash. Based on the reports of elephants' deaths in the previous years, the government has suspended him from the services," Sambalpur DFO Sanjeet Kumar said.

As many as six elephants had died between January, 2019 and January 2021, he added.

Following the death of number elephants, the then Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) Harishankar Upadhyay had recommended the government to take disciplinary action against the range o...