Guwahati: A top IFS officer in Assam has managed to evade investigation by the Chief Minister’s Special Vigilance Cell for the past seven years, despite serious allegations of corruption and wildlife crime.
The BJP-led government, known for swift action against minor bribery cases, has remained silent on this matter for unknown reasons.
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Journalist and activist Dilip Nath from Dhekiajuli has accused former Nagaon Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Jitendra Kumar of orchestrating the killing of a stray female rhino that had wandered into Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) in 2018.
According to Nath, Kumar not only facilitated the rhino’s killing but also sold its horn to smugglers.
Nath said that he personally filed complaints with the Superintendent of Police, the Chief Minister’s Special Vigilance Cell, and the Assam DGP, yet no action has been taken against the accused.
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The rhino disappeared on February 6, 2018. The female rhino had strayed out of Orang National Park and entered Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary after failed attempts by forest officials to guide it back. For 14 days, the animal remained under the watch of 200 forest personnel. However, it mysteriously vanished.
When then-Mangaldai DFO Ramesh Kumar Gogoi inquired about the rhino’s whereabouts, Kumar falsely claimed that it had returned to Orang National Park. To support his statement, Kumar produced a photograph and cited the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of Darrang, Naba Borah, as a witness. However, Borah later denied seeing the rhino and stated that he was only there for a land survey.
Nath continued his efforts to uncover the truth. Sensing foul play, he alerted the Central government, prompting the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) to send a team for an investigation. Their search led to a grim discovery—a rhino skeleton near a forest camp in Laokhowa. Interestingly, the horn was missing.
No Action Despite Evidence
Despite substantial evidence linking Kumar to the rhino’s death and the disappearance of its horn, no action has been taken. On January 4, 2020, the Chief Minister ordered an investigation, directing the Additional Chief Secretary (Environment & Forest) to look into the matter. Yet, four years later, the case remains untouched.
Nath questioned the double standards of the Assam government, pointing out how local officers have been jailed for accepting bribes as small as Rs 2,000, while an IFS officer accused of rhino poaching walks free. “If Jitendra Kumar is innocent, why did he lie about the rhino’s re-entry into Orang? How did the Central team find its skeleton in Laokhowa?” Nath asked.
Jitendra Kumar was suspended as Goalpara DFO due to a pending drawal of departmental proceeding on June 6, 2023. Kumar’s suspension was later revoked and he is now posted as DCF (Publicity) attached to PCCF, Assam.
Kumar was not available for comments.
Other Allegations of Corruption
Nath also pointed out a separate case involving N. Anand, Managing Director of Assam Mineral Development Corporation (AMDC), under whose watch 14 miners were trapped in a rat-hole mining disaster in Umrangso.
Their bodies have yet to be recovered. Additionally, Anand allegedly manipulated tenders for equipment supply at bamboo mills in Chamaguri and Dhekiajuli, favoring fake firms with a single phone number. Despite widespread protests, he was merely transferred instead of facing serious legal action.
Nath challenged the Chief Minister’s Special Vigilance Cell to take action against corrupt officials without bias. “Corruption is corruption—whether by an Assamese officer or an IFS officer. The government must act fairly and uphold justice,” he asserted.
The case of the missing rhino and the alleged cover-up by senior officials continues to raise questions about accountability and the government’s commitment to protecting Assam’s wildlife and fighting corruption.