A departmental inquiry has been initiated against two Assam Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers for allegedly flouting rules and creating a ruckus inside Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, according to people aware of the matter.
The sanctuary is among four places where one-horned rhinos are found in the state.
The purported incident inside the sanctuary, on the outskirts of Guwahati, took place on Sunday when secretary and commissioner (forest and environment department) Akash Deep and chief electoral officer (Assam) Nitin Khade were on a safari with their families.
According to the Jeep Safari Owners’ Association of the sanctuary, the officers and others smoked cigarettes and created ruckus in the forest.
Smoking, drinking alcohol and alighting from the vehicle during safari are prohibited.
On Monday, the association wrote to chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over the incident and sought action against the bureaucrats.
“It is unfortunate that the officers and their groups smoked and created ruckus inside the forest and also sat on the bonnet of the jeeps. When the drivers and forest guards asked them not to sit on bonnets, the officers got furious and verbally abused them,” the letter said.
HT has seen a copy of the letter.
Association president Nripen Nath said: “While the letter did not mention names of the officers, we later came to know they were Akash Deep, secretary and commissioner (forest and environment department) and Nitin Khade, chief electoral officer (Assam).”
Both the officers were present with their families and there were around 12-14 people in the group, Nath said. “They had hired three jeeps for safari inside the wildlife sanctuary,” he added.
The association also sent copies of the letter to forest minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, local MLA and information minister Pijush Hazarika and principal chief conservator of forests MK Yadava.
Divisional forest officer (Guwahati wildlife division) Jayashree Naiding confirmed that a departmental inquiry has been ordered into the incident.
“I am on leave right now and don’t have the exact details of what happened. Since an internal inquiry is underway, it won’t be right to comment,” she said.
Deep dismissed the allegations as “baseless”.
“I am surprised how and why these allegations are being made. These are totally baseless and fabricated and I have informed my senior officers about the same,” he said.
“During the safari, I found the behavior of the drivers impolite and there were some doubts about the fitness of the vehicles. As the commissioner-cum-secretary of the department, I mentioned it to the local forest ranger. There was no rude interaction between me and the drivers and forest guards,” he added.
Khade and Patowary did not respond to HT’s calls and messages on the matter.
