GUWAHATI: On Sunday last when Biren Chandra Deka (50), a forest guard at Nameri Tiger Reserve in Sonitpur district , was on his way to camp across the Jia Bharali river that passes through the protected area, little did he realize that death was waiting for him on the path. It was 7pm, Deka along with another guard was passing through Daimguri village, a settlement that came up on an encroached area of Balipara reserved forest on the buffer zone of Nameri, to reach their camp. When they were about to cross the river, Deka came in contact with live electric fence and died on stop.Villages that have come up on the encroached reserved forest on the buffer of Nameri have been using the deadly tactics of high voltage electric fence to keep wild elephant herds at bay without any approval of the forest department. While many elephants were electrocuted in the past, Deka’s death has brought to light that it’s also humans who have fallen on the death trap. Many of the human deaths due to electrocution went unreported as no one from the villages informed police.According to sources at least four persons died last year after coming inadvertently in contact with live electric fence, actually meant to scare away elephants, in the encroached areas of Balipara reserved forest and Sonai Rupai wildlife sanctuary , also in Sonitpur. Sources said between 2012 and 2017 out of 12 elephants electrocuted in Sonitpur, six elephants died after coming in contact with illegally erected high-voltage electric fences in villages on encroached forest lands in the district.“We have lodged an FIR with the police against 70 people for the illegal use of electric fence that killed our staff recently. Police is investigating the case,” Northern Assam chief conservator of forest, P Sivakumar said.Sivakumar said that the stretch of reserved forests along the tiger reserve that borders with Arunachal Pradesh’s Pakke tiger reserve were under encroachment in the 1990s.“We did eviction drives several times in the past. Now launching the eviction drive has become different because there are many claimants who are asserting their rights under the Forest Rights Act,” Sivakumar said.Out of 186 sq km area of Balipara reserved forest, almost 100 sq km is under encroachment with an estimated 40 villages.Honorary wildlife warden, Saurav Borkataky said that because of high-voltage electric fences used in encroached villages, elephants have started spreading out to other areas of the district, intensifying the conflict with humans. Borkataky said that elephants have started coming to Tezpur town, about 80km from the encroached reserved forest near Nameri.“Elephants being an intelligent animal are scared to enter these encroached villages because of the deadly electric fences. As a result they are coming now to other human settled areas which were free of conflict in the past. That elephants are entering the Tezpur town itself says the magnitude of conflict has intensified,” Borkataky said.

Stay updated with all the Latest Guwahati headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.