Tigress sighting: Kokrajhar admin declares 5-km zone around Assam village restricted
Guwahati: The Kokrajhar district administration in Assam has imposed prohibitory restrictions within a five-kilometre radius of Gelaguri village following the sighting of a female Royal Bengal tigress reportedly straying into the area from neighbouring West Bengal, officials said on Tuesday.
The restrictions were imposed through an order issued by District Magistrate Pankaj Chakravarty under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, citing potential threats to human life and livestock and the need to ensure an uninterrupted operation to capture the animal.
According to the administration, the tigress was first spotted on November 2 in the forest-fringe areas of Gelaguri village under the Dotma Revenue Circle.
The Divisional Forest Officer of the Kachugaon Forest Division had reported the animal’s presence. The restricted zone includes Gelaguri, East Bongshigaon, West Dangarkhuti, North Bhalukmari, Dangarkhuti and Ghoramari villages.
Under the order, gatherings of five or more people for watching or chasing the animal have been prohibited. Entry into forest and jungle patches within the designated area will require prior permission from the Divisional Forest Officer concerned.
The administration has also banned carrying firearms, traditional weapons such as daos and spears, traps, poison and snares within the restricted zone.
Activities that could disturb the animal or hamper the rescue operation, including bursting firecrackers, beating drums, using loudspeakers, lighting fires and deploying flashlights to locate the tigress, have also been prohibited.
Private drone operations and photography or videography of the capture operation will require prior authorisation.
The order further cautions against spreading rumours or unverified information on social media, particularly claims describing the tigress as a man-eater or alleging that it has been shot.
Authorised forest personnel, wildlife experts from the Wildlife Trust of India and National Tiger Conservation Authority, police and other government teams deployed for the operation have been exempted.
The restrictions will remain effective until the Divisional Forest Officer formally declares the capture operation concluded.
Violations will attract prosecution under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.