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CONSERVATION

it is alleged that it even tortured peo- environment, forests & climate change western countries pursuing their
ple. There is no question that rhinos ministry and deviated from the origi- Kaziranga boycott campaign. Its
should be protected. But at what cost? nal synopsis submitted to the external director Stephen Corry asserted that
This is the inside story of an Indian affairs ministry and the tiger conserva- the Kaziranga authority was practic-
national park and those killed in the tion authority. ing the extrajudicial killing for years
name of conservation,” commented Barring the BBC from filming in and they can’t ignore the matter any-
the BBC’s South Asian correspondent Indian tiger projects was however not more. The local residents living at
in the news based program. a quick-fix solution to the conservation the periphery of Kaziranga extended
Rowlatt also declared that despite authority. But it tempted the Survival to moral supports to Rowlatt and de -
his initiative, both the environment launch a campaign to boycott the park manded the unnecessary ban on the
ministries in New Delhi and Dispur that attracts over some 150,000 annual BBC journalist to be lifted immediately.
(responsible for the protection of visitors including over 11,000 foreign Jeepal Krisak Sramik Sangha (JKSS),
forest and wildlife), the NTCA (National tourists, untill the Kaziranga authority a farmer-labourers’ body based in
Tiger Conservation Authority of India) revokes its shoot-on-sight policy. Kaziranga locality, while criticizing
Kaziranga killings spark controversy and Assam forest department did not over 100 people were killed at Kaziran- Kaziranga’s harsh conservation meth-
The tribal rights body argued that
respond to his necessary queries.
ods, urged the government to institute
Once the BBC aired the program ga in the last 20 years. It also highlighted a high level probe into the reported
titled ‘Our World: Killing for Con - the case of Akash Orang, a minor tribal deaths of tribal people till date in and
servation’ on 11 February 2017, the around the park.
Recently, the BBC’s Natural History
Kaziranga National Park, which was known as a safe haven for greater one-horned rhinoceros, government and people of Assam The forest guards unit wrote to the NTCA expressing its
raised serious concern over its content
has recently been inviting bad names for relentless poaching of wildlife and atrocities against tribals arguing that the Kaziranga guards were of Kaziranga have regret for the adverse impact of the
in its fringe localities, reports NAVA THAKURIA legally empowered to take stern report titled highlighting the killings
actions against the poachers. reportedly been for wildlife conservation in Kaziranga,
Various protection groups came which was later published in various
ssam attracts tourists, by the armed forest guards with mere year 2020. forward scolding the London based using extreme Indian media outlets. But blaming the
research scholars and suspicion. The issue of killing people in the news channel for propagating a power with impunity concerned unit of the reputed news
scientists from different There were few people to listen to name wildlife conservation gained wrong image to Kaziranga to the in- channel, Survival made it clear that the
parts of the globe for vari- the Survival at that time, as the Kaziran- momentum after the British Broadcast- ternational audience. They organized to kill poachers BBC authority was only trying to row
A ous reasons, but one major ga authority continued celebrating the ing Corporation (BBC) beamed a news- impressive public outcries in favour of to safeguard the back for getting the permission for film-
destination is undoubtedly Kaziranga success story of preserving almost feature recently, where the journalist the Kaziranga authority to protect the ing in Indian forest reserves.
National Park. Known as a safe haven two thirds of world one-horned rhino Justin Rowlatt interviewed responsible rhinos and other wildlife with all affec- single-horn rhinos. “Contrary to reports in the Indian
for greater one-horned rhinoceros, the population. Besides rhinos, the central forest officials and frontline guards to tive means. They sometime media, the BBC letter has not cast any
world famous forest reserve however Assam based forest reserve, lately justify that they were mentally pre- Encouraged with the development, doubt whatsoever on the accuracy or
invites bad names as well, primarily developed as a tiger project too, gives pared to kill anyone unwanted inside the NTCA barred the BBC journalist also kill tribals truthfulness of the investigation,” said
for relentless poaching of wildlife and shelter to a significant number of Royal the Kaziranga territory. Rowlatt from filming in any of India’s Survival International adding that the
lately atrocities over tribal people in its Bengal tigers, Asiatic elephants & buffa- The BBC news feature claimed 50 tiger reserves for five years. Later BBC authority has not actually admit-
fringe localities. los, different species of deer etc. that since 2013, the armed guards of the Union environment ministry boy, who faced bullet injuries by acci- ted its Kaziranga shoot on sight expose
Known as a success story in the his- The rhinos are identified as vulner- Kaziranga that hosted UK’s Prince requested the external affairs ministry dent from a forest guard in Kaziranga was wrong.
tory of wildlife conservation in India, able by the International Union for William and Katherine in April 2016, to revoke the visas of Rowlatt along locality in July 2016. Akash received But by giving into the diktats of
Kaziranga lately got shocking news as Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in its continued killing almost two people with his associates who shot the film. serious injuries to his legs and is still the NTCA, the BBC authority has not
a tribal peoples’ rights body had come 2008 red list. Earlier in 1986, the animal per month under the brutal conserva- The NTCA claimed that Rowlatt under treatment. Following the locals’ only taken an anti-people stand but
out with a boycott call against the park was categorized as endangered. Poach- tion policy. The year 2015 witnessed ‘misled government officials into outcry, the Kaziranga authority sus- also failed to uphold the basic values
claiming that it has turned into a kill- ers continue killing the rhinos for the the encounter killings of 23 people in giving permission to film by submit- pended two guards. of human rights and media ethics of
ing field of innocent tribal people in horns that carry a huge sum of money Kaziranga in contrast to 18 rhinos ting a false synopsis’. They then went Besides Akash, there are few more righteous journalism, asserted the Sur-
the name of conservation. Survival in the international market feeding the poached by the criminals. on to produce a documentary which victims of the shoot to kill (rather than vival adding that by doing so the news
International, the London based tribal demand for traditional Chinese and Innocent villagers, mostly tribal shows Indian conservation efforts in to apprehend) policy in Kaziranga channel was putting the brave locals
rights organization issued the state- Vietnamese medicinal uses. people, have been caught up in the poor light, contrary to the synopsis itself. The inhuman policy has already in the firing line, as someone may use
ment expressing its concern that the Spreading across over 800 sq km on conflict (between the poachers and submitted, asserted the NTCA. attracted severe criticism from con- it wrongly to accuse them of defaming
forest guards of Kaziranga were using the south bank of mighty river Brah- forest guards) and the problem is mostly Little bit of unusual, but the NTCA servation charities for encouraging India’s reputation.
extreme power with impunity to kill maputra and classified as a UNESCO because the park rangers are indis- claimed that the BBC and Rowlatt violence, rather than effectively tack-
poachers to safeguard the precious world heritage site, the park presently criminate in applying brutal force, and violated four pre-conditions includ- ling the criminal networks behind the The author is a Guwahati based journalist
single-horn rhinos. What was shocking, gives shelter to nearly 2500 rhinos and they are given immunity from prosecu- ing they filmed (in Kaziranga) after poaching. The Survival statement also and Secretary, Guwahati Press Club.
the international organization asserted the authority is hopeful of achieving the tion, stated the piece. the sunset, did not screen the docu- added that it was writing to over 130
that many tribal people were also killed target of 3,000 rhinos in Assam by the “The park has killed, maimed and mentary before a committee of Union international tour operators in 10 LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM

TEHELKA / 15 DECEMBER 2018 62 WWW.TEHELKA.COM TEHELKA / 15 DECEMBER 2018 63 WWW.TEHELKA.COM

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