Six forest officials, including Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) V P Patil and Range Forest Officer (RFO) Sanjay Darade were allegedly assaulted by devotees of an ashram in Tungareshwar sanctuary on Wednesday afternoon. "The forest officials learnt that the devotees had domesticated a few peacocks in the vicinity of the ashram which is on the hills of the Tungareshwar sanctuary. They had gone to the ashram to seize the birds as they fall under the Wild Life Protection Act. But the devotees refused to hand them over the forest officials. This resulted in a clash between the officials and the devotees. The devotees allegedly assaulted the forest officials with stones. The ACF and RFO were also attacked by the devotees,' said Chandrashekhar Chaugule, Deputy Superintendent of the police (Vasai). "They were also confined in the ashram for around three hours and were released by the police,' he said. The problem between the devotees and the forest officials have been brewing for quite some time now over ownership of the land. Both the parties claim that the land belongs to them. According the devotees the ashram has been in the sanctuary for more than three decades now. "We had received various complaints regarding the ashram, including constructions in the sanctuary which is a notified forest area. We have also issued notices to the ashram in this regard,' said Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF-Wildlife) S A Thorat. The Tungareshwar sanctuary is 80 km away from Mumbai, in Thane district. It is known for its dense forest and rich wildlife. The injured officials were initially rushed to the primary healthcare centre in Parul and were later shifted to the Thane's civil hospital. "We are registering a case against the devotees for assault on government servants,' said Chaugule. However, no arrests had been made by the police in the case so far. The devotees too are in no mood to budge. The Baba in the ashram has many followers including locals, several political leaders and white collared devotees. "The forest officials are arm-twisting us. The land was given to us by the former Chief Minister Vasantdada Patil and the forest officials refuse to believe it. There could have been a tussle, but it was not physical as told to me by the devotees,' said Namdev Deurkar, a trustee of the Balyogi Sadanand Baba Ashram. The forest officials also complained against the police for not reaching on time. "Yes, the police did reach late at the spot because we were not informed about the action which the forest officials were going to take. Secondly, the place where the incident occurred is in the interior of the sanctuary,' said Thane SP Naval Bajaj.