HC order on rhino deaths

A division bench of the court comprising Chief Justice A K Goel and Justice A K Goswami yesterday issued the directive asking the government to file the affidavit by November 19 next.

The Court also directed the state government to file an affidavit detailing the area encroached by illegal settlers.

Acting on a suo moto PIL, the Court on October 4 had asked the state government to file the affidavit yesterday.

Additional advocate general Devajit Saikia representing the state government sought more time after apprising the court about the slew of measures taken by the forest and environment department to protect the rhinos in the park.

Saikia said the measures were additional deployment of forces including 50 armed personnel to the existing Assam Forest Protection Force, enhancing their firepower against poachers by providing SLRs and increasing forest camps inside the Park.

The central government counsel said there was no submission to be made at this stage as the affairs of the National Park were managed by the state government.

The world-famed Kaziranga National Park has witnessed a spate of rhino killings recently with 44 pachyderms dying naturally or due to floods. Nineteen rhinos were killed by poachers this year triggering widespread protest across the state.