Assam govt includes 2-yr-old B’desh photo in flood report to Rajnath

The picture, taken by wildlife photographer Hasibul Wahab and distributed by Caters News Agency in February 2014, received global appreciation at that time.

In a major goof-up, Assam government on Saturday included a two-year old world-famous photograph of Bangladesh’s Noakhali flood in its interim report on Assam flood to Union home minister Rajnath Singh.

Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal along with Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Jitendra Singh at a relief camp in Morigaon, Assam, on Saturday, July 30, 2016.(PTI)

The report, handed over by Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal to Singh during his day-long visit to survey the flood condition in the state, comprises nine photographs.

Out of this, one is the famous picture of Noakhali flood, where a young man rescues and carries a baby deer amidst flood water.

This photograph of Belal, a young man rescuing a fawn, was taken by wildlife photographer Hasibul Wahab during the Noakhali floods in Bangladesh, and distributed in 2014. The photograph was included in the Assam government’s flood report submitted to Union home minister, Rajnath Singh. (Facebook)

The picture, taken by wildlife photographer Hasibul Wahab and distributed by Caters News Agency in February 2014, received global appreciation at that time.

The photo showed the youth, Belal, in his 20s, risking his life to rescue the baby deer with waters reaching his eyes.

Senior Assam government officials owned up the mistake when pointed out but tried to shift the blame on “some” district collectors (DC) who forwarded the picture to the state capital.

“It is a big mistake. We accept it. Actually some DCs have forwarded this to us because of similarity with situation in Kaziranga National Park,” a senior official said on condition of anonymity.

Another official said residents in and around Kaziranga have been rescuing animals during the current wave of flood and this might have “misled” officials to include the picture.