DIMAPUR, APRIL 17 (MExN): Director of Intangki National Park (INP) has rebutted the claims made by the Assam Rifles (AR) that it had discovered marijuana cultivation inside the national park which was accordingly destroyed in the presence of Peren Police and local villagers on April 11.
It now appears that the marijuana cultivation inside the INP which the AR claimed they destroyed, were naturally grown species of the cannabis plant found abundantly in the valley of Dhansiri River bordering Nagaland and Assam.
The AR had made the claim on April 11 that the Jalukie Battalion of the Assam Rifles under the aegis of HQ IGAR (North) along with representatives of the Police, Narcotics Department launched an operation inside Intangki Reserve Forest, Peren district and destroyed a large area of marijuana cultivation.
According to an official press release from the AR, its patrol party discovered the “cultivation of Marijuana on approximately 6 to 8 acres of land spread over Assam and Nagaland.” The AR had informed the police at Peren about the same and thereafter on operation was conducted in presence of local villagers, the release said.
In the operation, approximately two acres of Marijuana cultivation located in Nagaland area worth Rs 1, 60,000 was destroyed, it maintained.
Countering the claim, the INP director in a rejoinder received on Tuesday maintained that on April 9, 2018, Nagaland Police personnel from Athibung P.S came to the Forest Protection Camp, INP informing that there is plantation of marijauna inside the park as per the information received from AR.
Based on the information received from the Police, a joint spot verification of Forest Protection Force with Nagaland Police was conducted on the same day but no cultivation or plantation was traced out, except natural occurrence of marijauna in the valley of Dhansiri River bordering Nagaland and Assam, the Director stated.
However after coming across the report of the AR and Police destroying marijauna cultivation in Intangki Forest which appeared in the local dailies, the INP Director said he led a team of Forest Protection Force along with Range Officer ‘A’ Range to verify the same. Based on the spot verification, the Director claimed that,"The marijauna species occurring abundantly in both side of Dhansiri River bordering Nagaland and Assam are natural growth and the destruction of marijuana by the AR was some part of the same natural growth of the same area."
The growth and destruction of marijuana inside the national park which is under the coverage of thick forest doesn’t arise. If necessary, the Department officials have also proposed to conduct joint verification to identify or confirm whether the species in question is naturally grown or cultivated, the INP Director added.
Whatever the case may be, the INP Director pointed out that the Assam Rifles has violated the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 vide section 27 (Restriction on entry into Sanctuary), 29 (Destruction, etc in a sanctuary prohibited without a permit) and 31(prohibition of entry into sanctuary with weapons without prior permission of the Chief Wildlife Warden).
