GUWAHATI: In a surprising act, an Assam Police battalion Jawan has been caught red-handed while trying to take away an injured deer from the National Highway at the Kaziranga National Park.
Forest Officials caught the security personnel, who was identified as Hemanta Handiqui, a jawan of the 9th Assam Police Battalion, while he tried to move away with the deer. Handiqui took the deer from a side of the National Highway to a departmental vehicle, he traveled.
Forest officials recovered the deer inside the vehicle. Forest officials seized the vehicle.
Moreover, another vehicle was also seized by the officials as the travelers of the vehicle help the jawan to catch the injured deer.
Notably, floodwaters have submerged 70 percent of Assam's Kaziranga National Park (KNP) and the animals are taking shelter near the national highway that runs through the Park or are crossing it in search of dry land, prompting the park authorities to issue an advisory to heavy vehicles to avoid the stretch.
The carcass of a swamp deer, which is believed to have come out of the Park looking for dry land, was recovered near the boundary wall on Monday morning, a Forest department official said.
At least three hog deer have been killed by speeding vehicles in the Park in the current wave of floods, KNP authorities said. The forest official said a local youth spotted the dead animal and the preliminary suspicion of attempted hunting was confirmed during post-mortem.
"The female swamp deer was killed by using sharp spears while coming out of Park during the night," the official said adding a case has been registered and investigation initiated.
Animals have started coming near the NH 37 that passes through the Park in search of dry land with many crossing the road to reach higher land necessitating speed control of vehicles.
The Park authorities said 70 percent of the Park's total approximately 430 sq km area is currently reeling due to the flood. Besides water from the swollen Brahmaputra and other rivers and rivulets flowing through the park, rainwater from the bordering Karbi Ang; on hills flood the area annually.
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