CBI given the Charge to Probe into Rhino Killing in Assam

The State Environment and Forest Minister of Assam, Rockybul Hussain on 7 April 2013 announced that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was given the charge of probing into the killing of Rhinos in the State. The decision was taken following a communication passed by the Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions to the state.

The decision of initiating a CBI probe into the killings of the rhinos from the centre came up following the repeated incidences of poaching and rhino killings in the Kaziranga National Park and other wildlife parks of the state.

The details of the number of cases undertaken by CBI for probing into and the time-period of investigation were not cleared. Apart from this to protect rhinos from poaching activity, the National Tiger Conservation Authority of the Union Environment and Forests Ministry will undertake test flights of unmanned aerial vehicles over the sanctuary from today.

As per the latest reports, Kaziranga National Park witnessed killing of 25 rhinos in 2012 and in 2013, 20 rhinos were poached by the first week of April.