Indian astrologer, no danger or death prediction

Sad, but ironic. India's a dangerous place, for its own people, by the way. Hindu extremists have been killing Indian Catholics, including locking a nun and priest in a church and burning it with them inside. So it looks like even this palm reading astrology expert forest ranger is also robbed and then pointlessly shot. Hmm.


http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080826/jsp/jharkhand/story_9743908.jsp

Forest ranger shot dead

Ranchi, Aug. 25: Forest ranger Lalan Prasad Gupta (50), posted at the Palamau Tiger Reserve in Betla, was shot dead by unknown assailants, suspected to be road robbers, at 4pm yesterday at Kadwan village under Bishrampur police station in Palamau district.
His body was brought to his Kadru Road residence at 9pm today.
Forest department officials today mourned the death of Gupta who they fondly recalled “looked more like Veerappan, towering at over six feet and sporting a long moustache, but a perfect gentleman at heart and an honest and upright” official.
Palamau superintendent of police Deepak Verma revealed that on Sunday, Gupta had left his official residence at Betla where he was posted, along with four forest staff members, to perform puja at a temple located at Bishrampur, some 50km away. While returning from Bishrampur, his vehicle broke down at Kadwan village.

The forest staff got off from the vehicle and started pushing it with Gupta at the wheel. Suddenly, a group of dacoits surrounded the vehicle and demanded money from the forest ranger. Though Gupta parted with all his valuables, including cash estimated to be around Rs 7,000, the criminals demanded more money.

When Gupta expressed helplessness and the robbers failed to extract any more cash, they shot Gupta from a close range killing him on the spot.

The others were allowed to go off without being hurt.

Gupta’s colleagues told The Telegraph that the forest official had turned religious ever since one of Gupta’s sons had died due to unknown reasons some years ago.

They recalled that Gupta, despite his personal tragedies, excelled in astrology and was an excellent palmist. Hailing from Sasaram in Bihar, Gupta had joined the forest department as a ranger in 1986-87.

Chief conservator forests (wildlife) Satish Kumar Sharma described Sharma as an able and honest forest official who discharged his duties with diligence.

Gupta had told The Telegraph last month that he had ordered a complete ban on tourists coming to Betla national park for two-and-a-half months to ensure that the inmates of the park — including tigers, elephants, bears, Indian porcupines, wolves, wild boars, wild dogs, birds — get some time and space to mate in peace without being disturbed.

He had claimed that this was the only means of ensuring a spurt in wildlife population.

Gupta was also actively engaged in educating villagers located within the immediate vicinity of the Betla reserve about the need to conserve forests and wildlife.