law: Indian Forest Act, 1927
  79.  Persons
  
  bound to assist Forest-officers and Police-officers.  –
  (1) Every person who exercises any right in a
  
  reserved or protected forest, or who is permitted to take any forest-produce
  
  from, or to cut and remove timber or to pasture cattle in, such forest, and
  
  every person who is employed by any such person in such forest, and every
  
  person in any village contiguous to such forest who is employed by the
  
  Government or who receives emoluments from the Government for services to be
  
  performed to the community, shall be bound to furnish without unnecessary delay
  
  to the nearest Forest-officer or Police-officer any information he may possess
  
  respecting the commission of, or intention to commit, any forest-offence, and
  
  shall forthwith take steps, whether so required by any Forest-officer or Police
  
  officer or not, - 
  a) to extinguish any forest fire in such forest of which he has
  
  knowledge or information;
  b) to prevent any
  
  lawful means in his power any fire in the vicinity of such forest of which he
  
  has knowledge or information from spreading to such forest, and shall assist
  
  any Forest-officer or Police officer demanding his aid - 
  c) in preventing the commission in such forest of any
  
  forest-offence; and
  d) when there is reason
  
  to believe that any such offence has been committed in such forest in
  
  discovering and arresting the offender.
      
  
  e) Any person who, being bound so to do, without lawful excuse (the burden of
  
  proving which shall lie upon such person) fails - 
      
  
  f) to furnish without unnecessary delay to the nearest Forest-officer or
  
  Police-officer any information required by sub-section (1);
      
  
  g) to take steps, as required by sub-section (1), to extinguish any forest fire
  
  in a reserved or protected forest;
      
  
  h) to prevent, as required by sub-section (1), any fire in the vicinity of such
  
  forest from spreading to such forest; or
      
  
   i ) to assist any Forest-officer or Police officer
  
  demanding his aid in preventing the commission in such forest of any forest-offence,
  
  or, when there is reason to believe that any such offence has been committed in
  
  such forest, in discovering and arresting the offender, shall be punishable
  
  with imprisonment for a term which extend to one month, or with fine which may
  
  extend to two hundred rupees, or with both.