Bagerhat: The Forest Department has filed another case against 10 people in connection with Tuesday’s fire at Abdullah Shila in Chandpai range of the Sundarban in Sharankhola upazila.

Dhansagar Station officer Md Sultan Mahmud under the Chandpai range of the Sundarban East Zone on Tuesday noon filed the case against five known fishermen and five unknown people with Sharankhola Police Station under the Forest Act, said M Shah Alam Miah, officer-in-charge of the police station.

They have already started to conduct drive in different areas of the forest to arrest the accused, he said.

All of the accused hail from Uttar Rajapur village of Sharankhola upazila, but police and employees of the Forest Department did not disclose their names for the sake of the investigation.

Talking to UNB, the complainant, Sultan Mahmud, said as he filed a case against six fishermen in connection with the fire in the

Sundarban on 13 April, the accused again set fire in the forest on Monday as a sequel to the case.

On 13 April, the Forest Department filed a case against six fishermen in connection with the fire in Chandpai range of the Sundarban that burnt around 8.5 acres of forestry.

On 17 April, a court here issued separate warrants for the arrest of the six accused in the case.

Another fire broke out at Abdullah Shila in Chandpai range of the Sundarban in Sharankhola upazila on Monday (April 18) morning, endangering its ecosystem.

This is the third incident of forest fire in Chandpai range over the last three weeks.

The fire originated at Abdullah Shila adjacent to Nangli camp at about 11:00am. Later, the Forest Department managed to extinguish the fire at about 5:00pm but the damage caused by the fire could not be ascertained yet.

On 27 March, another fire broke out in the Dhanshagor station's Nangli forest camp area.

In the last 14 years, there have been 20 fire incidents in Chandpai and Sharankhola ranges of the Sundarban.