(IN): NGO staff fishes in park to make point

[Guest guest]

As a protest gesture this certainly makes sense. As an animal welfare move,

it does not. Who would kill a person and say " Why are you arresting me when

so many murderers are free? " He might as well have just intruded inside

Kaziranga without attempting to fish or hunt.

 

On 3/22/09, azam24x7 <azam24x7 wrote:

>

> Link:

> http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090322/jsp/northeast/story_10704084.jsp

>

> NGO staff fishes in park to make point

> A STAFF REPORTER

>

> *Guwahati, March 21:* A member of an NGO today went fishing inside

> Kaziranga

> National Park, apparently to protest against the delay in arresting two

> legislators who invaded the sanctuary and assaulted a forest guard.

>

> Sanjeeb Baruah, secretary of the Upper Assam unit of Seven Sisters, the

> NGO,

> was apprehended near the Kathpora beel under Kohora range of the park

> around

> noon. A fishing net was recovered from his possession.

>

> Baruah, when contacted on his cellphone, told *The Telegraph* from the

> forest range office at Kohora that the forest department “has no right” to

> arrest him since they had failed to arrest the two MLAs — Jiten Gogoi and

> Kushal Duari — who were caught red-handed fishing in the park.

>

> “The law of the land is the same for everyone. How can they arrest me when

> they failed to arrest the two MLAs?” Baruah asked. Seven Sisters has been

> working in educational institutions near Kaziranga to spread awareness on

> protecting animals for several years.

>

> The two MLAs are still absconding, though the police have sounded a red

> alert throughout the state. A tourism department employee who had

> accompanied the two MLAs has been placed under suspension. He, too, is

> absconding.

>

> The Assam Forest Employees’ Association has set a 10-day deadline for the

> arrest of the MLAs and threatened to launch an agitation.

>

> The park’s director, S.N. Buragohain, said since Baruah had been caught

> with

> a fishing net inside the national park, a case had to be registered against

> him.

>

> “I understand Baruah’s action but this is not the way to protest. Fishing

> inside Kaziranga is banned,” Buragohain said. He added that the law would

> take its own course.

>

> The All Assam Students’ Union today demanded the immediate arrest of the

> duo.

>

> According to UNI, the absconding MLA Jiten Gogoi, however, told a local TV

> channel over phone: “I am in Guwahati. I had never gone underground but the

> police have not come to search for me.”

>

>

> --

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