9 booked in Assam’s Nagaon for pelting stones at a tigress, may have caused damage to one eye

Guwahati: Nine people in Assam’s Nagaon district have been charged under the Wildlife Protection Act for pelting stones at a tigress, which has possibly suffered irreparable damage to one of her eyes. The tigress is recovering, but may lose vision in one eye, a wildlife official said, adding that the opinion of a veterinary ophthalmologist would be sought. The sub-adult feline had strayed out of the Kamakhya reserve forest in Kaliabor, a sub-division in Nagaon district, on the morning of 18 November when it was targeted by a mob, forest officials said.

Forest officials rescued the wounded tigress as it lay injured near a railway bridge on 20 November. It was taken to the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) near the Kaziranga National Park, about 60 km from Jakhalabandha. According to the state forest department, on Thursday evening, the police in Jakhalabandha along the highway between Guwahati and Upper Assam towns, raided the houses of suspects involved in the attack.



Six of the nine accused—Jayanta Sen, Bahadur Sahani, Sontosh Gour, Durga Gorh, Nikhil Sahani, Naresh Sahani—were identified from video clips circulated widely on social media. Three others, Bikash Mahato, Sombhu Gorh, and Arbaz Kureshi, were picked up later. The men are in the age group of 19-25 years, and mostly residents of localities near the Jakhalabandha railway station.

“Legal action shall be taken against the culprits,” the forest department said in a press statement. On Monday, curfew-like restrictions were imposed along the banks of the Kolong river between Debasatra and Miribheti villages as the tigress strayed out of the jungle. The entry and movement of people in seven villages were also prohibited from 4 p.

m. to 9 a.m.

“in the interest of safety of human life”. The order was issued to also facilitate forest personnel discharge their duties without hindrance. As the news and images of the bleeding tigress surfaced on the internet, environmentalist and wildlife activists sought exemplary action against the people who pelted stones.

Later, a resident of Sonitpur district wrote to the Jakhalabandha police not to spare the “animals on two legs” for endangering the life of the striped cat. (Edited by Tony Rai) Also Read: Gauhati HC adjourns plea for CBI probe into delay in notifying Kaziranga ESZ. ‘Similar case pending in SC’ var ytflag = 0;var myListener = function() {document.

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