Guwahati, Jan 14 (PTI) Tension flared in the Haldibari area of Kaziranga National Park on Wednesday after forest and police officials stopped local residents from community fishing during Bhogali or Magh Bihu, citing a Gauhati High Court order banning such activities inside the park.
According to officials, a group of locals, including several women, had gathered for community fishing, a customary practice during the festival, when forest and police personnel reached the spot in Golaghat district and asked them to disperse.
The locals resisted, claiming the activity was part of their tradition, and alleged that police used force to stop them. The situation escalated as protesters raised slogans and blocked National Highway 37 for a brief period.
Senior police officers later reached the area and brought the situation under control. The locals were subsequently allowed to retrieve their fishing nets and equipment from the water bodies.
The Gauhati High Court had earlier prohibited fishing in water bodies within Kaziranga National Park during the Bihu festivities, particularly on Uruka, the day preceding Bhogali Bihu, noting that such activities violate wildlife protection and forest conservation laws and threaten the park’s fragile ecosystem.
The state government had informed the court last week that district commissioners had issued necessary prohibitory orders to enforce the ban.
Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve spans across Golaghat, Nagaon, Sonitpur and Biswanath districts. PTI DG DG NN
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