Two poachers arrested for opening fire at Odisha sanctuary staff: Police

Two members of Sabuja Vahini (volunteers of Kuldiha sanctuary in Odisha’s Balasore district) were injured during patrolling

Published on: Mar 19, 2024, 12:13:14 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Two poachers were arrested for allegedly firing at two members of the Kuldiha sanctuary in Odisha’s Balasore district on Monday night, officials said.

The two poachers have been arrested. (Representative file photo)

Two members of Sabuja Vahini (volunteers of Kuldiha sanctuary in Odisha’s Balasore district) were injured during patrolling.

Officials of the state forest department said while patrolling in the sanctuary last night, the forest staff saw two poachers who then fired from their country made guns which hit two volunteers of Sabuja Vahini accompanying the forest officials.

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“At about 2am, staff of Kuldiha Range in Balasore Division came across two poachers inside Kuldiha Sanctuary. Two staff were injured when fired upon. They are out of danger,” said principal chief conservator of forests(wildlife) Suaanta Nanda.

The two poachers have been arrested.

The attack on forest officials inside a sanctuary comes about nine months after two persons were shot dead by poachers inside Similipal Tiger reserve of Mayurbhanj district.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More