MLAs assault Kaziranga park official

Two Assam legislators both former ULFA militants beat up a highly decorated forest official as the latter objected to their illegal fishing inside...

Two Assam legislators both former ULFA militants beat up a highly decorated forest official as the latter objected to their illegal fishing inside the world famous Kaziranga National Park on Tuesday evening. The MLAs allegedly also tried to fire at him with AK-47 rifles and then ransacked the forest range office at Kohora.

But even as Dharanidhar Boro,the official who was assaulted,filed an FIR with the Kohora police station in Kaziranga,Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said in Guwahati on Wednesday it would take time to initiate action against the MLAs.

The MLAs,both Independent,are Jiten Gogoi,who represents Bokakhat LAC (part of Kaziranga comes under Bokakhat),and Kushal Duwari,who represents Thowra LAC in Sivasagar district.

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I have seen some newspaper reports about the incident. I will call for a report from the Forest Minister. But I assure you the law will take its own course, the Chief Minister told a press conference.

When asked why the two MLAs were not arrested even after 24 hours of the incident for a crime committed inside Kaziranga,which is a World Heritage Site,Gogoi said,It takes time to arrest an MLA.

Meanwhile,Kaziranga National Park director S N Buragohain told The Indian Express over the phone that the two MLAs wanted to catch fish inside the national park and spend the night inside the protected area. They allegedly ransacked the park directors control room around 6 pm the same day.

While range officer Boro has filed an FIR at the local police station,we have also registered a case under the Wildlife Protection Act against the two, Buragohain said.