23 June 2019




In a first of its kind judgement against wildlife crime in Assam, a lower court in Assam’s Chirang district sentenced five persons in three separate cases to seven years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000 each for hunting protected species of birds and animals under different ranges of Manas National Park.

In a judgment pronounced by the additional sessions judge in Bijni under Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) on June 17, 2019, Somnath Kisku and Dhojen Tudu were convicted under Section 51(1) first proviso of the Wildlife Protection (Assam Amendment) Act, 2009 for hunting three hares, two mongooses, a dove, a bulbul and a barbet. Mongooses belong to Part II of Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and the other birds and animals fall under Schedule IV specified animals.

Veterinary officer under Manas Tiger Project, Prabhat Basumatary, had submitted before court the examination reports which stated that the hare was found dead of multiple fractures on spinal cord and skull, the mongooses, dove and the barbet were found to have died of spinal cord fractures while the Bulbul died of a skull fracture resulting in complete damage of brain.

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