it is a classic case of keepers turning marauders. The Supreme Court (sc) has issued a notice to the Madhya Pradesh government over the alleged involvement of the state police in timber smuggling. The notice which was issued on September 26, 2002 was in response to an application by Damoh-based activist Santosh Bharti pointing to the seizure of a truck registered under the police department. The truck was caught illegally carrying teak wood from the Tendukheda reserve forests, located 60 kilometres from Damoh. The wood was allegedly being ferried for making furniture for senior police officials.

The truck was seized on the intervention of Bharti, who followed it from the police offices to the forests and back. "We wanted to expose the timber smuggling racket flourishing indiscriminately in the area,' says Bharti.

The police however, had the