NRL Officers Arrested in Connection with Elephant Death

A special forest team arrested Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) officers Ujjwal Nayan Handiqui and Bedanga Kashyap for their involvement in an elephant’s death on July 18. The arrests followed a case filed by Golaghat DFO Sushil Kumar Thakuria. The officers, charged under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, were remanded in judicial custody. The elephant was electrocuted and buried without notifying the forest department, prompting protests and a subsequent investigation.