A forester was shot dead by poachers inside the Similipal Tiger Reserve, one of the largest tracts of contiguous forest in India. This is the second killing in the past one month.
The incident took place on wee hours of Saturday when a group of six forest personnel intercepted armed poachers at near Gamchacharan beat camp in the Upper Barahakumuda range of Similipal North Division during patrolling.
When the forest team asked the poachers to surrender and lay down their weapons, they started indiscriminate firing around 2.30 a.m. Mathy Hansdah, who was posted in Upper Bharakamada Range as a forester, was hit by a bullet.
Mr. Hansdah was immediately shifted to the Karanjia Hospital in Mayurbhanj district. Doctors attended him around 3.15 a.m. and subsequently declared him dead. During confrontation, the forest team managed to seize a gun. Poachers had escaped taking advantage of the darkness. A joint team of forest and police personnel launched a combing operation to nab culprit, said Sai Kiran, Deputy Director (Similipal north division).
A month ago, Bimal Kumar Jena, a forester, had died of gunshot when a group of 26 poachers, who were roaming inside the core area of the Similipal Tiger Reserve, attached him. In May, a tribal youth was killed in firing of forest department personnel. Victim’s family members had, however, alleged that the youth had gone to forest in search of livelihood.
Similipal has been in news for all wrong reasons during past couple of months. As many as 11 elephant deaths were recorded since 2019, including four in 2021-22. Three forest officials of the Similipal tiger reserve were arrested over the burning of a carcass of a tusker in the core area.
Taking a strong view over incidences of elephant poaching, the Orissa High Court had had directed the State Forest and Environment department to spell out preventive action plan to stop poaching cases in Similipal. The Similipal Tiger Reserve, which used to boast of being home to over 100 tigers is left with 26 tigers. Recently, a skin of Royal Bengal Tiger was seized from wildlife smuggler in the buffer area of Similipal.
