50 rhino poachers surrender in Udalguri

UDALGURI, March 7: Fifty dreaded rhino poachers surrendered in front of the forest officials of Darrang district and police staff of Silbari police station and members of Aranya Surakhya Samiti, Orang at Orang recently. According to a report of Aranya Surakhya Samiti, Orang, 50 poachers of rare one-horned rhinos of Orang National Wildlife Sanctuary surrendered in a public meeting recently at Orang which was attended by Chittaranjan Bhobora, district forest officer, Darrang, Labanya Ramchiary, range officer of Orang National Wildlife Sanctuary and Pradip Borah, officer-in-charge of Silbari Police outpost. It was the unique initiative taken by Aranya Surakhya Samiti and prompt action by the district forest officer (DFO) of Darrang district that dreaded poachers like Meher Ali (26) of nearby Nalbari village, Abdul Mahram Ali (25), Roysuddin Ali (30), Ayub Ali (35), Rafiq Ali (35), Abdul Aziz (25), Abdul Salamat Ali (32) of Bechimari, Mohammad Ali (50) of Rahmanpur, village, Hasen Ali (30) of Rangagara village, Nabir Hussain of No. 2. Kachari Bhetitop village, Tazim Ali (29), Abdul Khalek (30), Abdul Malik (32), Chand Miya (30), Hekim Ali (35), Mamtaz Ali (40) Maqbul Hussain (28), Nuruddin Ali (28), Roysuddin Ali Sheikh (32) of No 1 Kachari Bhetitop village, Abdul Azit (30), Lal Miya (30), Hekim Ali (32), Mamtaz Ali (40), Maqbul Hussain (30), Naruddin Ali (30), Kandu Hazang (30), Balu Hazang (25), Tahur Ali (30), Kanmaha Ali (32) of No. 2. Kachari Bhetitop village and such 22 other dreaded poachers surrendered before the government officials. According to the Aranya Surakhya Samiti sources, this was the first of its kind of surrender by poachers in Assam. Speaking on the occasion, the poachers regretted their acts and expressed their desire to lead a normal life. A greater Silbari 'Aranya Aru Banyaprani Surakhya Samiti' was also formed on the occasion with Hazi Jaynal Abedin as president, Nurul Amin as working president, Zakir Hussain as general secretary, and Utpal Hazong and Bapukan Ali as assistant secretaries. Chittaranjan Bhobora, DFO, Darrang Labanya Ramchiary, Forest Range Officer of Orang National Wildlife Sanctuary, Pradip Borah, officer-in-charge of Silbari police outpost, Naba Kumar Deka, organising secretary of Aranya Surakhya Samiti, Bhargav Kumar Das, secretary of Green Society, Mangaldai, Jaynal Abedin, Nurul Amin and Munindra Basumatary also spoke on the occasion.