Police register case against Sootea MLA

GUWAHATI, April 28 ? Police today registered a case against a group of trouble-makers allegedly led by ruling party MLA of Sootea constituency Praneswar Basumatary after they had set fire to an anti-poaching camp at Ranggajan Chapori inside Nameri National Park in Sonitpur district this morning. A case against the group, including the MLA, has been registered in Rangapara police station under Section 147/148/149/353/447/436 & 506 of IPC on the basis of FIR lodged by forest department staff in Nameri Park.

Meanwhile, in a press release, Aaranyak, a frontline bio-diversity conservation society in the North-east, stated to have dashed an e-mail to Congress president Sonia Gandhi complaining against Basumatary for interfering with eviction drive in Nameri National Park. Aaranyak also urged the Chief Minister to take stern action against the MLA to uphold the spirit of the Constitution. It was alleged by forest staff in Nameri National Park that the group led by the MLA tried to stop eviction drive against encroachers in Nameri Park by setting the anti-poaching camp afire.