Sources, on condition of anonymity, told The Assam Tribune that even while they were being pushed out of the national park, the offenders were issuing threats and made reference to a particular political leader of the Congress party. They were quite open about their intentions and mentioned the name of the leader, who they said was supporting their cause, said a source present when the confrontation had taken place. This newspaper was also informed that there was a sinister modus operandi to the effort to grab vast tracts of land. The encroachers had lined up women and children on the front when they faced forest personnel and government officials, indicating that they were trained for such a situation beforehand. Such a move made their eviction particularly difficult. Although the forest department has stuck to its position, and earned kudos from various quarters, its officials believe that a similar situation might recur in the near future. Already some political leaders have started calling forest officials to show restraint when it comes to dealing with illegal settlers of doubtful citizenship. According to a senior forest department official, the people who made the abortive bid certainly enjoyed political patronage from high levels. Otherwise, how would anyone dare to enter a highly protected area and expect to settle permanently? he asked and added that it was time that the Government realised its responsibility in managing precious natural landscapes. Meanwhile, monitoring inside the park has been heightened with additional manpower being pressed into service as the authorities do not want a repeat of the ugly episode. Read the full report here.
