Two killed in firing by forest guard at wildlife sanctuary in Assam’s Nagaon; CM orders probe

Nagaon, June 22

Two brothers, who had entered Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam’s Nagaon district illegally, were killed in firing by a forest guard on Saturday, police sources said.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, taking note of the incident, has directed the chief secretary to order an enquiry into the matter.

“Last night, individuals from Sutripar village trespassed into Lawkhua-Burachapari Reserve Forest. During an encounter with patrolling forest guards, a guard opened fire in self-defence, resulting in the deaths of Samaruddin (35) and Abdul Jalil (40),” Sarma posted on X.

“I have directed the Chief Secretary of Assam to immediately constitute an inquiry to investigate the incident thoroughly,” the CM added.

Local police sources, requesting anonymity, said the two brothers had entered the area around midnight for illegal fishing activity.

They purportedly attempted to flee when forest guards spotted them, leading the latter to fire, which resulted in the death of the duo.

The post-mortem examination of the bodies was conducted at the local hospital and after that, the bodies were handed over to the families on Saturday.

Rupohihat MLA Nurul Huda, visiting the residence of the deceased, demanded an enquiry and compensation for the victims’ families.

“If they had tried to escape, they should have been shot in the leg. The forest department has to answer why they killed these two poor fishermen and pay compensation to the families,” the Congress legislator said.

Villagers said the two brothers were fishermen and had earlier also gone fishing at Roumari Beel.