Assam: Two NRL official arrested in elephant killing case

Dergaon, Jul 25: A special forest team of Golaghat on Wednesday arrested two officers of Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) in connection with an elephant killing case at the NRL township on July 18.

Sources said NRL township's chief manager Ujjwal Nayan Handiqui and manager Bedanga Kashyap were arrested after Golaghat DFO Sushil Kumar Thakuria filed a case with regard to death of an elephant.

The officers, arrested under Sections 9 and 39 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, were later produced before Golaghat's CJM court that remanded them in judicial custody.

Earlier, a marathon interrogation of the two officers was carried out in the presence of the DFO at the Forest Range Office at Salmara, Golaghat.

The female elephant was electrocuted at the township on July 18 and subsequently, the animal was buried without informing the forest department.

Later, following a mass protest against the unlawful activity involving the Scheduled 1 animal, the forest department exhumed the pachyderm's carcass for post- mortem.

After a long investigation, the two NRL officials, who were allegedly involved in the incident, were arrested. The person in charge of the electrical division at the township was also brought under the purview of the investigation.