Dudhnoi: Assam DGP GP Singh visited Dudhnoi in Goalpara district on Tuesday following an altercation between forest staff and timber mafia that killed one official and injured three others.
A member of the forest staff was killed and three others were injured at the Krishnai Forest Range on Monday in an alleged attack by timber smugglers.
Shibamoni Pegu, the Krishnai Forest Office Ranger, said she sent out a team on Monday night to verify a report about smugglers felling Sal trees at the Boro Matia Proposed Reserve Forest under the Krishnai office.
Forest staff Mabibur Rahman, Nazrul Islam, Mustafa Ali and Rajbir Ahmed found a tractor loaded with Sal timber but before they could take the it to the Krishnai office, they were attacked by timber smugglers and had to be admitted to hospital.
While Rajbir Ahmed died on his way to Guwahati Medical College Hospital, the three others in his team were admitted to Goalpara hospital.
As per reports, Goalpara Police later seized the timber laden tractor and weapons used to attack forest staff.
Protesters surrounding the Goalpara Divisional Forest office alleged that reports of timber smuggling in the area were frequent and despite several warnings, forest authorities failed to ensure the security of their own staff and curb timber smuggling. On Tuesday morning, Dudhnoi MLA Jadob Swargiary affirmed the inefficiency of forest staff and said that the forest team “couldn’t even fire at the timber mafia and smugglers even after they attacked the forest staff”.
On Tuesday, DGP G P Singh explained the reason for his visit to Dudhnoi. He said, “The attacks on forest staff means trying to disrupt the Assam government’s initiative to increase the forest land in Assam from 36% to 38% and we will never let it happen.”
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GP Singh also stressed that he ordered Dudhnoi Police to handle the matter according to law and take all the necessary steps to ensure security in the area. He said, “It is a murder case since one man was murdered and three people were injured. The culprits who are related to this incident must be arrested.”
Singh informed that strict action will be taken against those arrested in the case. He further said that so far two persons have been apprehended and that their accomplices will also be arrested by tomorrow.
Also Read | Assam: Forest official killed, 3 hurt by ‘timber mafia’ in Goalpara