Body found after forest guards fire at Nameri National Park

A body was found after forest guards at Nameri National Park here fired a few rounds to disperse a group of men fishing illegally in a river, Sonitpur Divisional Forest Officer Pankaj Sarma said today.

The body was recovered today from near the spot where the firing took place last night, but it was still not clear whether the man died due to the firing, Sarma said.

A group of fishermen had entered the park last night to catch fish in Jia Bhorali river, probably because of ongoing Rongali Bihu celebrations, though fishing was banned there, Sarma said.

When forest guards came to know about it, they reached the spot in Burhagaon and asked them to leave, he said.

The fishermen allegedly did not pay any heed to the warnings by forest guards who then fired a few rounds, Sarma said.

After this, the group fled and the security personnel started a search operation but it was suspended due to darkness.

"The search operation resumed today and a body was recovered from Burhagaon area beside Jia Bhorali river. The body is yet to be identified," Sarma said.

It was suspected that the person was killed in the firing by forest guards but it would be confirmed only after post-mortem, said Sarma.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)