Home Guard Killed by Royal Bengal Tiger in Tragic Incident at Orang National Park; Body Recovered After Intense Search

MANGALDAI: At approximately 10 pm on Wednesday, the grieving employees of Orang National Park and Tiger Reserve (ONPTR), assisted by ten departmental elephants, conducted a ferocious more than four-hour search and eventually located the lifeless body of fallen Home Guard Jawan Dhan Moni Deka in the park’s dense forest. Deceased Dhan Moni Deka was killed by a Royal Bengal Tiger in quite a sensational and tragic incident in ONPTR at about 5.20 pm on Wednesday evening. The unfortunate victim Home Guard jawan Dhanmoni Deka (32) is a resident of Nagaon- Hatimara under Sipajhar Police Station in Darrang district.

The incident occurred when Dhan Moni Deka armed with a .303 rifle on that fateful evening  was carrying out patrolling duty on foot in Bilpar anti forest camp area along with Mahut Shah Jamal. The tiger reportedly jumped on him from behind and overpowered him and before his fellow staff could resist the tiger dragged him away and entered into the dense forest cover.  However, Mahut Shah Jamal without losing sense picked up the rifle of Dhan Moni and opened several rounds of fire, but failed to stop the tiger. The park authority immediately launched search operations with the help elephants to rescue Deka alive and after nearly four hours of search operations following the blood spots the tiger was found at an aerial distance of around one kilometre holding the blood shedding body of Dhanmani on its jaws. After several rounds of blank fires the tiger left the body.

Meanwhile, talking to this correspondent Pradipta Baruah, DFO-cum-Field Director of the ONPTR said that Dhan Moni Deka was serving the park since 2014 and was dedicated and brave in service with the expertise to tackle the wild animals. He also played an important role in capturing the strayed Royal Bengal Tiger recently in Dhing of Nagaon district. He further stated that his family will get the necessary compensation as per the government’s standing guidelines. His body was brought to Mangaldai Civil Hospital on that night for post mortem examination and the body was  handed over to the family members. Late Dhan Moni Deka joined the service of Home Guard in the year in 2008 and got married only six months ago.

Earlier in 2006, one staff of ONPTR was also killed by a Royal Bengal Tiger on the western boundary of the Park.

It may be mentioned here that immediately on receipt of this tragic incident, Superintendent of Police of Barpeta Er Sushanta Biswa Sarma who earlier had rendered his service in Darrang as Superintendent of Police expressing his deep condolence, offered an amount of Rs 20,000 to the family members.

Today senior officials of the Forest department from Guwahati visited the park to make an on the spot assessment of the incident.

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