Two nature-loving social activists filed complaint before the Kokrajhar Superintendent of Police, Rajen Singh and Kokrajhar Deputy Commissioner Niranjan Baruah seeking safety and security stating that they received life threats from timber smugglers at Bhuban Nagar area under Fakiragram Police Station in Kokrajhar district.
The youths – Ratan Chandra Barman and Subur Khan – filed the complaint on Thursday.
In the complaint, the youths mentioned that they allegedly received life threats from timber smugglers – Samiruddin Sheik and Tapazul Hussein.
Talking to reporters, Ratan Chandra Barman and Subur Khan, who are known as nature-loving activists of Bhuban Nagar area under Fakiragram Police Station, though they informed the officials of Fakiragram forest office and the forest officials of Kachugaon Forest Division about running of illegal sawmills by timber smugglers in various villages of Jogdwi areas under Fakiragram PS, no initiatives were taken by the forest department authorities to seal the illegal sawmills and seize the wood-cutting machines.
“After that we have received life threats from the timber smugglers. We also suspect that some of the Forest Department officers are also involved in the running of the illegal sawmills and have nexus with the smugglers. Otherwise, how can the timber smugglers continue the smuggling activities,” Barman and Khan said.
They also said, “Valuable trees like Sal and non-Sal trees like Gamari and Segun have been illegally felled down by the timber smugglers and this continues to take place at various locations in Jogdwi area like Kaspara, Mamunigaon, Pratabkhata and Bhuban Nagar under Fakiragram Police Station and the logs of trees have illegally been sold to Dhubri and others parts of Assam. The logs are brought to the mills illegally from Kachugaon forest and Tipkai forest.”