GUWAHATI, April 12 ? In the most recent raid conducted by Forest Department and Nagaon district administration on April 5 and 6, besides a Bangladeshi passport, a huge volume of illegal timbers and instruments used in wildlife and forest crimes were recovered from Pub-Putalijhar village located in Gorajan area of Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctury which has been under constant onslaught of criminals enjoying patronage of politicians.
Sources informed that the recovered Bangladeshi passport bearing No. U 0343210 belonged to one Abdus Sattar. It was issued by Md Abdul Malek, Deputy Assistant Director of Immigration and Passport, Government of Bangladesh, Mymensingh on February 14, 1999. The passport is valid upto February 13, 2004. However, the visa No. B 223436 expired on May 16, 1999, as it was issued for three months on February 17, 1999. The passport holder entered the country on February 27, 1999 through Gitaldaha ICP in Coochbehar district of West Bengal.
The recovery of the passport can be construed as a strong indication that criminals coming from the neighbouring country are active in committing wildlife and forest crimes in Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary where several sincere forest and police officials came under attacks from criminals backed by local politicians. In the aftermath of joint raid conducted on April 5 and 6 last, influential political leaders from the area have started issuing threats to police and forest officials involved in the raids. They are asked to either hush up the matter or face the consequences.
Criminals enjoying patronage of politicians have been running riot in the 70 square kilometre Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary since 1983. The wildlife habitat located in Nagaon district was regarded as one of the rich and diverse wildlife park of Assam till early 1980s. It was home of about 70 odd Great Indian One Horned Rhino, Royal Bengal Tiger, elephant, Asiatic buffalo, over 200 bird species including Bengal Florican.
However, in the aftermath of the infamous ethnic cleansing in 1983, poachers in nexus with local political bigwigs wiped out the rhino population. Politicians with vested interests encourage wanton felling of trees and encroachment inside the wildlife sanctuary while the hapless forest staff were forced to turn a blind eye to the destruction happening around them. Because of outrageous interference from politicians backing the criminals involved in poaching and other wildlife and forest crimes in the area, the morale of the forest and police personnel engaged in the area has been at a low ebb.
Several forest department officials as well as police officials of the area had come under attacks from these criminals, henchmen of local political leaders. The politicians engineered arrests of at least two senior Forest Department officials on fabricated charges after they had put up a brave front against wanton destruction of forest and wildlife let loose by these criminals. The charges against these two unfortunate Forest officials could not be proved in the Court.
In March, 1990, criminals operating in Laokhowa area assaulted Pankaj Sharma, the then forest range officer, Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary, with sharp weapons. He suffered injury in his shoulder and head. In May, 1995, then Forest Range Officer, N N Ojha and eight of his staff was assaulted by criminals near the wildlife sanctuary. They were badly injured in the incident. In December 1998, criminals assaulted a joint team of Forest and Police officials. A policeman was killed in the incident while the officer in-charge of the nearby police station was injured. Investigation in the case did not make any progress because of political interference. In July 1998 Forest Guard Bhaben Kakati and in October, 2001 forest guards Jiten Bora and Sarat Hazarika came under attacks of criminals. A well-organised band of criminals having blessings of a few local political bigwigs have converted the policing in Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary a dangerous proposition.