Once again animals turn victims in human conflict

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Fancy fish doomed to death

A STAFF REPORTER

 

*Guwahati, March 23:* Thousands of ornamental fish are waiting to die in

rows of aquariums at the factory of Rani tea estate which was vandalised by

a mob yesterday.

 

The rampage was triggered after the proprietor of the estate, Mridul Kumar

Bhattacharjee, opened fire on a group of villagers who went to his bungalow

to protest the assault on a woman in the morning.

 

A schoolboy was killed and four others were injured in the shooting.

 

“With no power, the supply of oxygen to these aquariums has snapped. Several

aquariums were broken in the attack, killing hundreds of fish. There is no

way the fish can be saved,” a security man said.

 

Power supply was snapped after the mob set cables ablaze yesterday.

 

Two stray dogs were seen feeding on dry fish — used to feed the ornamental

fish — inside the hall where the aquariums are kept.

 

All the fish are now destined to perish in the aquariums in the dark hall.

 

“We are trying to restore power to light up the boundary of the factory and

the bungalow for security reasons but we can hardly do much to restore power

inside the factory. Most of the power cables have been burnt,” the

securityman said.

 

A posse of security personnel has been deployed in the area.

 

Apart from the organic tea product factory, Rani estate also has a piggery

and a dairy.

 

The Institute of Marketology based in Switzerland certified Rani tea as

organic in 2005.

 

A source in the tea industry said the estate is the only garden in the

country to have a captive power plant and a mini-hydel unit. The estate also

has an extensive network of fisheries with 23 acres under aqua cultivation.

 

“The top floor of the factory was used to rear ornamental fish and perhaps

it is the largest such ornamental fish rearing centre in the state,” a tea

planter close to Bhattacharjee said.

 

He said Bhattacharjee supplied ornamental fish not only to outlets in the

region but also to other states.

 

“Ornamental fish is his next big business after tea,” he said.

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