The chopping took place in the presence OF local officials on the instructions of the Dehradun-based Forest Research Institute (FRI) and Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC).
Secretary and members of the BTMC, N Dorjee and Radhakrishna Mishra and Arvind Singh respectively were present when the exercise took place.
The FRI has been entrusted with the task of looking after the tree.
A team of FRI comes here from time to time to maintain
the tree, official sources said.