'Kaziranga at risk': Ex-officials oppose diverting forest guards for Assam polls

By A Representative

A group of 40 retired officials from the All India and Central Services has written to the Chief Secretary of Assam demanding the withdrawal of an order that deploys the Assam Forest Protection Force (AFPF) for election duty. The letter, dated March 31, 2026, warns that diverting nearly 1,600 forest guards from their primary responsibility of safeguarding Assam’s wildlife would violate both Election Commission of India guidelines and a 2024 Supreme Court directive.

The officials, part of the Constitutional Conduct Group, stressed that the ECI has clearly prohibited the use of territorial forest forces and serving forest officials for election-related duties. They pointed out that the Supreme Court had “categorically exempted forest officials and forest department vehicles from being deployed for elections,” making the Assam government’s order a potential breach of judicial directions.

The deployment, they argue, would have serious ecological consequences. Assam’s forests and protected areas are home to globally significant species such as the Indian rhinoceros, hoolock gibbon, golden langur, pygmy hog, elephants, and tigers. Removing trained AFPF personnel from their posts during election season would leave these species vulnerable to poaching and organized wildlife crime. The letter warns: “Diverting such a large number of AFPF personnel at this time will inevitably weaken on-ground protection mechanisms and increase the vulnerability of precious wildlife to organized wildlife crime.”

Kaziranga National Park, which shelters the largest population of Indian rhinoceroses, requires constant vigilance by forest guards to prevent poaching and habitat encroachment. The officials caution that without AFPF presence, poachers could exploit the absence of protection, threatening Assam’s ecological security and global conservation commitments.

Calling the order a “serious violation of the Supreme Court’s directions” and a troubling precedent, the group urged the Chief Secretary to “immediately intervene and withdraw the impugned order” and ensure strict adherence to constitutional and ecological safeguards. They concluded with an appeal for corrective action “in the interest of India’s and Assam’s ecological security and the protection of our forests and wildlife.”

The letter carries the weight of 40 signatories, including former Chief Secretaries, Ambassadors, Directors General of Police, and senior IAS, IFS, and IPS officers, underscoring the gravity of the concern raised.

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