GUWAHATI, July 15 - In a development demeaning to Assam Police, Additional Director General of Assam Police (ADGP) AP Rout today alleged that some officials within the police department are trying to malign his image due to personal enmity.
The revelation came after a section of the media, quoting the admission of Tilak Borah, an arrested rhino poacher, has recently claimed that Rout too was a party to the rhino poaching nexus and had even accepted bribe.
Borah had reportedly told the police that he had paid some money for rhino poaching to one special task force commandant and a part of which was given to Rout as well.
Dismissing the allegations, Rout, who is one of the senior most police officials of the Assam Police, told media-persons that the allegation was made by the poacher when he was not even the head of the task force against rhino poaching.
Replying to queries from media-persons, Rout said, �This is a conspiracy hatched by some people within my department. I have verbally informed about the evil design to the higher-ups. I joined as ADGP STF on September 29, 2014 and I was given the charge of anti-rhino poaching task force on January 30, 2015. During my tenure as ADGP in charge of anti-rhino poaching task force we had killed 24 rhino poachers and arrested 145 of them. The number of rhinos killed during that year had come down to 17. We recovered 39 rifles, seven pistols and 228 rounds of ammunition. Ten vehicles were also seized,� the senior official said. Moreover, during the same period, 14 rhino horns were recovered.
�The killing of rhinos in 2015 was lowest, whereas the anti-poaching operation yielded the highest results,� Rout said, citing the statistics chart.
Tilak Bora was first arrested from Sarupathar in August, 2014. He was arrested again in 2015 and 2016 under Bokakhat Police Station. In fact, he was arrested four times prior to his arrest in 2016.
