Guwahati, 17th July: In a firing incident at Bura Chapori Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam’s Sonitpur district, a woman was killed and five others sustained bullet injuries after being fired upon by forest department rangers. The incident occurred when the group was allegedly trespassing inside evicted land on Sunday night without permission.
The forest officials took action by firing upon the group, claiming that they were attempting to encroach upon the area. Sadly, during the incident, Rahima Khatun, a woman from the group, suffered fatal gunshot wounds and passed away while being transported to a nearby hospital. The injured individuals have been identified as Ahmed Ali, Ramzan Ali, Samsher Ali, and Fatima Khatun.
Authorities stated that the forest officials responded to the encroachment attempt and took necessary measures. The alleged encroachers had reportedly started constructing huts in the evicted land in an apparent bid to reclaim it.
Earlier this year, Assam Minister Pijush Hazarika reaffirmed the government’s commitment to combat illegal encroachment on government lands. He emphasized that the ongoing drive to reclaim government lands from illegal encroachers would persist. During a press briefing in Nagaon, he stated, “We will continue our drive against illegal encroachers. If someone will go against the law, we will not allow anything to happen against the law.”