Forest guards held after toddler dies in firing to drive away jumbos

Two forest guards were arrested after a toddler was killed and her mother injured as they opened fire as part of their efforts to push back a herd of wild elephants to the forest in Assam’s Kamrup (Rural) district, officials said on Sunday.

Officials said that the forest personnel, seeking to repel a herd of elephants, fired shots in the air, but accidentally two bullets hit two-year-old Arbi Daimary and her mother Malobika Daimary at Bondapara area in Kamrup (Rural) on Saturday.

The child subsequently succumbed to her injuries and the woman is now under treatment at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital.

Local people demanding punishment of the forest personnel and compensation to the victim’s family organised massive protests into the incident leading to the arrest of two forest guards, identified as Imtiaz Ahmed and Sidhartha Sinha.

Kamrup (Rural) Deputy Commissioner Kailash Kartik and Superintendent of Police Hitesh Roy had visited the Bondapara division forest office and assured the people of appropriate action against the forest guards.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Kashmir Monitor staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)