Northeast insurgents poaching rare Assam rhinos

CBI sleuths, probing poaching of rhinos in Assam (especially in the Kaziranga National Park), suspect that Northeast-based insurgent outfit Karbi People’s Liberation Tigers is actively involved in the barbaric act. It is suspected that members of the outfit — equipped with modern weaponry like mortars, AK-47, AK-56 and M20 guns have links with poachers based in Southeast Asian countries where a rhino horn is sold between Rs 70 lakh and Rs 1.5 crore, sources say.

The CBI, which recently filed its report over the killing of a female rhino at Rongmongwe area in Karbi-Anglong district in Assam in September 2012, named several accused under the Arms Act in a separate chargesheet.

“The agency filed its chargesheet on December 31 last year against three persons in connection with the killing of a female rhino in 2012. It is suspected that the poachers have links with the an insurgent outfit active in the North-eastern region of the country”, sources say.

The CBI has also completed its investigations into the killing of an another rhino at Haldibari forest area in Karbi-Anglong district in July 2012. “The CBI on December 11, 2014, filed chargesheet against two persons in connection with the case. In this case also, it is believed that the poachers have links with the same insurgent outfit,” sources add. The CBI had registered four cases related to rhino poaching in Kaziranga national park on the request of the state government and further notification by the Central government.

“Rhino poaching in Assam is one of the major environmental issues in India which continues in the region of Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park and some other forest areas of Assam. Kaziranga National Park (a world heritage site), Pobitora in Marigaon district and Orang National Park in Darrang district of Assam account almost 95 per cent of the total wild one-horned rhinos in the world.” sources argue.