Assam Police has been on high alert since the horn of an adult female rhinoceros went missing inside Kaziranga National Park on 20 January 2022. And yesterday, a suspected rhino poacher was killed while an alleged dacoit was injured in two police encounters in Assam, Golaghat and Cachar districts.
Based on the confession, the names of the three accused were identified as Abdul Matin, Ataur Rehman and Asmat Ali - all residents of Biswanath district in north Assam. Assam Special Director General of Police, Law and Order and the chief of the Anti-Rhino Poaching Task Force, Mr G.P. Singh had announced a cash reward of Rs 2 lakh each leading to the arrest of three suspected poachers and Rs 5 lakh for facilitating the authority to recover the horn of the slain rhino.
It is worth stating, that the Anti-Poaching Task Force in Assam is being brutal in tackling the poaching of rhinos. On 26 January, the Assam Police deployed 20 commandos in Kaziranga to provide security in vulnerable areas and to conduct a special operation to check rhino poaching. Sometimes sniffer dogs were also deployed to catch poachers.
For the record, since the BJP government led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma came to power in May 2021, total of 33 people have been killed and at least 69 were injured in the police crackdown on allegedly trying to escape from police custody or attacking personnel.