Guwahati: A dramatic encounter unfolded in Assam's Chirang district on Sunday as a poacher lost his life in a confrontation with the police.
The incident took place within the precincts of the Manas National Park, situated on the India-Bhutan border. The poacher's death happened during a joint operation led by the Forest Department and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB). It also resulted in the arrest of two other poachers.
As per the authorities, the events leading to the fatal confrontation originated from an operation focused on the apprehension of firearms. In the process, Noweswar Basumatary, one of the apprehended poachers, attacked the law enforcement personnel with a machete. In response to this aggression, the officials were compelled to use their firearms in self-defense.
In an official statement, the police elaborated, "Yesterday, we arrested Noweswar Basumatary and two other rhino poachers. After interrogation, Noweswar Basumatary revealed that he had hidden some guns inside Manas National Park. A team of police and forest officials went to search for the guns, which were used to kill rhinos. Noweswar Basumatary suddenly attacked a police officer with a dao (machete), which was kept in front of a tree. In self-defense, the police team fired at him, and he sustained a bullet injury. He was later pronounced dead by doctors."
The encounter exposes the challenges faced by authorities in protecting the region's wildlife.
In April, a group of seven rhino poachers established a temporary camp within the Manas National Park. This group operated for six days, during which they killed a rhino and unlawfully profited from the sale of its horn. Of the seven poachers, five have been apprehended by the police.
Assam, known for the Kaziranga National Park, has long struggled with the threat posed by poachers seeking to exploit the illegal trade of rhinoceros horns.