Panchkula, July 23 -- A sessions court in Panchkula sentenced a 20-year-old Pinjore man to 18 months of simple imprisonment for illegally felling khair trees, assaulting forest officials and causing grievous injuries to a forester during an anti-smuggling operation in the Pinjore forest area.

The case pertains to an incident on February 21, 2025, when a forest department patrol reached the forest area near Chapra Dam in Nanakpur block after getting information about the illegal cutting of khair trees. Three persons were allegedly found cutting the trees. When the forest team tried to stop them, they were attacked with sticks.

Forest inspector Deepak Kumar suffered a fracture in his right hand, while other members sustained injuries. The...