Assam: Forest guard found dead in Orang National Park; tiger attack suspected

According to the officials, Deka, 25, went missing at around 6pm on Wednesday while he was on duty and his body was recovered at around 10:30pm

Silchar: A mutilated body of a forest guard was found in Assam’s Orang National Park on Wednesday, hours after he went missing, officials said.

(Representative Photo)

Officials have identified the deceased as Dhanmani Deka, a resident of the Sipajhar area of Darrang district.

According to the officials, Deka, 25, went missing at around 6pm on Wednesday while he was on duty and his body was recovered at around 10:30pm.

“The mutilated body was found around 50 metres from his original guarding location. A part of the body was missing and the marks on his body suggest that he was killed by any wild creature,” an official said.

Darrang superintendent of police (SP) Prakash Sonowal said initial findings of the forest department suggest that Deka was dragged and mauled to death by a tiger.

“The body has been sent for post-mortem and once the report comes, things will be clearer. The forest department officials are investigating the matter further,” he said.

Family members of the deceased said that he was alone at the time of the incident and he did not also have any firearms to protect himself from such an attack. They also demanded a proper investigation.

“I believe it was not a good decision from the department’s part to send a guard alone in an area where attacks by tigers were possible,” said one of the family members.

Locals in Sipajhar demanded adequate compensation for the family and also appealed to the forest department to be more responsible while sending the guards to duties.

Forest officials said that they are investigating the matter thoroughly and adequate security measures will be taken in the future.