GUWAHATI: Widespread outrage has erupted in Assam following the alleged mass killing of spotted doves in Amrikhowa village, Sarthebari area of Barpeta district. Dozens of the birds were reportedly found dead in a paddy field, prompting swift action from authorities.
According to initial reports, local resident Nripen Deka is accused of lacing rice grains with poison to kill the birds. The state’s Forest and Environment Minister, Chandra Mohan Patowary, confirmed that the accused had been apprehended and legal proceedings initiated.
Police said they recovered 20 bird carcasses from Deka’s field and arrested him shortly afterwards. He was produced before a local court on Tuesday and remanded to judicial custody.
“The birds died when they came to eat paddy. We visited the field after being alerted by a local and recovered the carcasses of 20 birds,” said Prakash Deka, officer-in-charge of Sarthebari Police Station.
However, locals allege that the death toll may be much higher, with suspicions that many carcasses were disposed of before police arrived. A video circulating on social media shows a man carrying what appear to be dead birds in his hands, with others lying on the ground nearby.
The accused, however, denied the allegations, claiming he only used fertilisers such as urea and potash for cultivation. Police said a veterinary doctor was called in to examine the birds and that preliminary evidence suggests poisoning.
Body parts of the deceased birds have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Guwahati for necropsy, and soil samples from the site have also been collected for testing. Authorities confirmed that these birds were not categorised as wild and are now seeking court permission to dispose of the carcasses.
Soumyadeep Dutta, Director of Nature’s Beckon, an environmental organisation, condemned the incident, calling it a case of “targeted killings.”
“These were intentional killings such a large number of birds wouldn’t have died in one place otherwise. Some people kill spotted doves for their meat, both for personal consumption and sale,” Dutta stated.
Nature’s Beckon conducts annual campaigns to protect the eggs, nests, and habitats of indigenous bird species, and has urged stricter enforcement against wildlife crimes.