Police officials from three districts of Barak Valley and officers of the Assam Forest Department participated in a workshop on wildlife crimes organised in Hailakandi on Sunday. The event, themed ‘Wildlife Crimes Scenario and its Various Dimensions’, was organised by Assam Police, Southern Range, in association with Aaranyak and the District Legal Services Authority, Hailakandi.
Welcoming participants and resource persons, DIG (Southern Range) of Assam Police, Kangkan Jyoti Saikia, spoke about Assam’s rich wildlife heritage and emphasised the need to hold such workshops in Barak Valley, given its strategic location and the changing patterns of wildlife crime in the region.
The workshop was also attended by the Member Secretary of District Legal Services Authority, Hailakandi, Pranab Sharma.
Delivering the keynote address, wildlife conservation scientist and Executive Director of Aaranyak, Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, said the illegal wildlife trade has become the fourth largest illegal trade globally, after narcotics, arms smuggling and human trafficking. He discussed rhino poaching both in Assam and in African countries such as South Africa.
Talukdar noted that proactive action by the Assam government had led to a sharp decline in rhino poaching, from 41 cases in 2013 to just two in recent years, with zero cases recorded in 2022. He also pointed out that illegal wildlife trade often involves the inflow of arms from neighbouring countries, posing a threat to national security. He thanked Assam Police, Southern Range, for holding the workshop.
He further sensitised participants on various sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, noting that it is a special Act and can sometimes supersede other laws. He said that like forest officers, police officers of the rank of sub-inspector and above also have the power to file complaint cases under the Act, and that such cases are generally registered based on complaints to the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court.
Legal experts at the workshop discussed the provisions and limitations of the Act, while Hailakandi Police shared their experience in seizing exotic species such as the Red and Blue Lory bird.
Around 30 police officials from Cachar, Hailakandi and Sribhumi districts attended the programme, along with forest officials from Barak Valley. Among them was Hailakandi Divisional Forest Officer, Akhil Dutta, who said such workshops were of great benefit to police and forest staff.
Hailakandi Superintendent of Police, Amitabh Sinha, spoke about the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1962, in the local context.
It was agreed that such workshops were necessary for Barak Valley. While cases of wildlife crime remain limited in the region, officials said vigilance is essential due to the rising trend of trafficking through the international border with Mizoram.
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