Guwahati: A five-day training programme was recently organized at Assam‘s Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve to enhance the skills of wildlife officers in key areas such as investigations, evidence collection, and the development of strong cases related to wildlife offenses.
The programme witnessed the participation of 27 investigating officers from six forest divisions.
This training programme was organised by the field directorate of Manas Park along with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
The training aimed at minimizing the knowledge gaps among the investigating officers and updating them on relevant sections of Bharatiya Nagarik Surakha Sanhita 2023 (BNSS), Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 (BNS), Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 (BSA) and the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 as amended up to 2022.
As a part of a commitment to preserve the rich biodiversity of Manas, with poaching and illegal wildlife trade continuing to threaten the reserve, it is essential that frontline officers are equipped with up-to-date legal knowledge and advanced investigative skills.
Bhupendra Nath Talukdar, Deputy Conservator of Forests (Retd), Assam Forest Department imparted the training.
He said, “Many of our Investigating Officers face a lot of difficulties due to the recent amendments in WPA 1972 and the relevant sections of the criminal laws enacted in 2023 in India due to the knowledge gaps and skills sets required for framing wildlife offence as per the changes. The five-day training with practical sessions aim to cover all these aspects to overcome these challenges.”
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This training program builds upon previous initiatives by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), which began offering law enforcement training specifically for Manas National Park in 2011. The training is an update and continuation of their ongoing efforts in the region.
By Dec 2023, 560 officers had participated in 21 batches of refresher training and 73 officers had undergone specialised refresher programmes between 2011 and 2023.
