Guwahati: A group of 40 prominent former civil servants has written to the Assam Chief Secretary, expressing “serious concern” over the state government’s decision to deploy approximately 1,600 personnel from the Assam Forest Protection Force (AFPF) for the upcoming 2026 Assembly elections.
The Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG), comprising retired officers from the IAS, IPS, and IFS, alleged that the move directly contravenes established legal norms and recent Supreme Court directives.
In their letter, the signatories pointed out that the Election Commission of India (ECI) specifically prohibits the requisitioning of territorial forest forces for election duties to ensure that critical ecological protection and forest governance functions are not disrupted.
“We bring to your attention a grave issue… to express our serious concern regarding the recent order issued by the Special Chief Secretary… deploying approximately 1,600 personnel of the Assam Forest Protection Force (AFPF) for forthcoming election duties in Assam. This decision is in direct contravention of established legal and administrative norms,” the letter stated.
The group further cited a 2024 Supreme Court order that recognized the “specialized and essential character” of forest work, categorically exempting forest officials and their vehicles from election deployment. They warned that ignoring these directives could expose the state government to potential judicial scrutiny and undermine institutional integrity.
The retired bureaucrats cautioned that diverting such a significant portion of the AFPF could leave Assam’s iconic wildlife vulnerable to organized crime.
The letter specifically mentioned the threat to endangered species such as the Indian rhinoceros, the hoolock gibbon, the golden langur, and the pygmy hog.
“Assam is home to the largest population of these animals, primarily in protected areas such as the Kaziranga National Park, where constant vigilance by trained forest protection forces is critical to prevent poaching and habitat encroachment,” the group wrote. It warned that elephants and tigers would be left “at the mercy of poachers” if the forest field staff were deployed for election duties.
The petition was signed by 40 veteran officials who stressed their lack of political affiliation and their commitment to “impartiality, neutrality, and the Constitution.”
Among the key signatories are Najeeb Jung, former Lieutenant Governor of Delhi; Julio Ribeiro, former Director General of Police, Punjab; Meena Gupta, former Secretary, Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India; Wajahat Habibullah, former Chief Information Commissioner; K. Raghunath, former Foreign Secretary; and Prakriti Srivastava, former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests.
The group has urged the Chief Secretary to immediately intervene and withdraw the deployment order to ensure the “ecological security” of Assam is not compromised and that AFPF personnel can continue their critical duties in forest and wildlife protection.