8 Held Over Death Of Forest Official In Assam’s Goalpara

Guwahati: As many as eight persons were detained on Wednesday In connection with the death of a forest department official that occurred during an incident over timber smuggling in Goalpara district of Assam.

This comes after a fight on Tuesday over suspected timber smuggling left one forest department worker dead and three others in severe condition.

Those arrested today were identified as Bhadreswar Rabha, Mohen Rabha, Dulal Rabha, Suraj Rabha, Prahlad Rabha, Ananda Rabha, Prafulla Rabha and Rajni Rabha.

They are being held at Dudhnoi Police Station in the state’s Goalpara area at the moment.

It should be noted that the brawl is said to have started at Krishnai Salpara Darapara in Goalpara after the forest department launched an operation there against specific inputs of illegal timber smuggling. At that location, a group of suspected timber smugglers attacked the team with sharp weapons.

Reports claim that several local residents of the area were also implicated in the assault, which happened after the investigation team had seized a tractor and a cache of lumber intended for covert export on Monday night.

According to accounts, the smugglers stole the officials’ cell phones and two gold rings from the crew.

The deceased forest department officer has been identified as Rajbir Ahmed. The three injured officers have been named as Mobinur Rahman, Mustafa Ali, and Najrul Islam. They were taken to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for immediate medical attention, where they are currently receiving care.

Rajbir Ahmed was taken from the scene of the incident by the police and taken to the Solace Hospital in Goalpara. Then, for more advanced care, he was sent to the Excel Care Hospital in Guwahati, where he was later pronounced dead.
Speaking about the incident, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) said, “A very tragic incident has occurred. Hope the police will conduct a thorough investigation. Our staff has been attacked by sharp weapons. They have been attacked by machetes and also with bamboo. I have been told that a group of people had surrounded the forest officers. The driver and one of our officers named Mobinur Rahman have been targeted. Till now, the police have not arrested any person in connection to the case. However, their efforts in saving the lives of the staff have been recommendable. They have taken action at the right time. I would like to thank the police for this.”