GUWAHATI: Rattled by killing of three rhinos by poachers in the famed Kaziranga National Park (KNP) within in the 48 hours, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal has instructed Superintendent of Police of all the five districts surrounding the national park to put up coordinated efforts to prevent poaching of precious rhinos in Kaziranga.
The chief minister has also called upon the people from the villages surrounding Kaziranga National Park to extend cooperation to the authorities in Kaziranga National Park (KNP) in preventing poaching.
Poachers using the sophisticated assault rifles killed three rhinos including a calf in the national park within the 48 hours since the night of Thursday to Saturday sending the forest and police officials into a tizzy. The poaching of rhinos has recurred in the rhino abode of Kaziranga after a gap of six months.
Forest minister Promila Rani Brahma who was outside the state, rushed back on Sunday to take stock in the wake of fresh poaching of rhinos in Kaziranga Park.
Meanwhile, BJP MLA from Khumtai Legislative Assembly Constituency (LAC), which is located close to the national park, Mrinal Saikia stated that use of AK-47 assault rifle in poaching might be an indication of involvement of insurgents from neighbouring Nagaland and Manipur in the poaching.
Congress leader and former forest minister Rakibul Hussain who was also in the dock for rampant poaching of rhinos in Kaziranga during his tenure, stated that the BJP had failed to keep its promise to check poaching of rhinos in Kaziranga Park.
Meanwhile, activists of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) on Sunday burnt effigy of state forest minister Promila Rani Brahma for her failure to prevent poaching of one-horned rhino, the pride of Assam.
