North Bengal: No hi-tech weapon to fight poachers

Pramod Giri, HT, 21 Oct 2016, SILIGURI: The seizure of an AK-47 rifle from rhino poachers on Tuesday night from Jaldapara National Park has exposed the vulnerability of lathi and double barrel gun wielding foresters. It has necessitated these guards to be equipped with modern and sophisticated weapons in order to challenge the poachers.

Owning to its proximity with Assam, Jaldapara National Park, with more than 200 onehorned rhinos, is most vulnerable for poaching.

Poachers from Assam backed by some locals frequent the park and kill rhinos.

The Assam poachers on a rhino killing spree had a plan to kill four to five rhinos for their horns during Diwali, said a forest officer posted at Jaldapara.

On Tuesday night, foresters recovered one AK-47 rifle along with 46 live cartridges and seized a rhino horn. They arrested four persons from Mendabari beat of Jaldapara.

This is probably the first time such a sophisticated weapon was recovered from poachers in the country.

Officials who were involved in the operation said that it was beyond their imagination that the smugglers would be using AK-47 rifles. “It was only after the recovery of the rifle, we realised that the operation could have turned fatal for the foresters,” said Bimal Debnath, assistant wildlife warden of JNP who led the raid.

The development has brought to the fore a question whether the forest department with 40% shortage of forest guards and carrying just lathis and double barrel guns would be able to combat the poachers and smugglers who are armed with sophisticated and modern weapons. A senior forest official said, “The recovery of AK-47 rifle has definitely raised an alarm.”

Sources said the forest department had already sent a proposal to combat the foresters with sophisticated weapons like SLR and carbines. Though 13 to 14 camps of the state armed police are there to help the forest department in North Bengal, the shortage of manpower with the armed cops is a problematic area.

Hence, the armed police camps at Jaldapara and Belacoba range would soon be strengthened with additional forces, said a senior officer. The cops posted in these camps will be equipped with carbines and pistols.

State forest minister Benoy Krishna Burman said, “We will buy modern weapons worth Rs 90 lakh for Buxa Tiger Reserve once the state home department gives green light.”

Talking to HT, Burman said forces like SSB and BSF have also been regularly helping the forest department to carry out raids. The vacancies of deputy rangers and forest guards would be filled up soon, the minister said.