Assam's forest martyrs remembered as frontline personnel continue to risk lives for wildlife

As India observes National Forest Martyrs Day on September 11, the sacrifices of forest personnel who lost their lives protecting Assam's forests and wildlife are being remembered, with the history of Manas highlighting the risks faced by frontline staff over decades.

Among those remembered are Game Watcher Akshay Kr. Rajbongshi and mahout Atowa Munda, who were killed by poachers at Lafasari Camp in Manas on February 16, 1989.

Their deaths were part of a particularly difficult period for forest personnel in Manas. Records indicate that at least 10 forest personnel died between 1989 and 1998 in incidents involving poachers, armed encounters or extremists.

The threats faced by forest personnel have changed over the years. While organised poaching and extremism once posed a major security challenge, frontline staff in Assam's forests continue to face risks from wildlife, floods, accidents and difficult terrain.

In more recent years, forest personnel have lost their lives in encounters involving elephants, rhinos, tigers and wild buffaloes. Some have drowned while on duty, while others have died during patrols or in road accidents while responding to wildlife emergencies.

The role of frontline personnel becomes particularly critical during Assam's annual floods. In Kaziranga, when rising water forces wildlife towards higher ground, forest staff are deployed to monitor animal movement and respond to emergencies.

Similarly, when wild elephants enter human habitations or injured animals are reported from remote forest areas, forest personnel are often among the first to respond.

The frontline workforce includes forest guards, game watchers, mahouts, foresters, Assam Forest Protection Force personnel, home guards, casual workers, boatmen and drivers.

Many of them work in difficult conditions, spending long hours in forests and wildlife habitats where encounters with wild animals, adverse weather and challenging terrain are part of their daily duties.

Assam's conservation success, particularly in protecting the one-horned rhinoceros and controlling poaching, has received national and international attention. But officials and conservationists have repeatedly stressed the importance of the personnel who work on the ground to protect the state's forests and wildlife.

On National Forest Martyrs Day, the names of personnel such as Akshay Kr. Rajbongshi, Atowa Munda, Dinesh Lahkar, Lankeswar Lahkar, Tipusaran Sahu and Jirsong Engti serve as reminders of the human cost behind Assam's conservation story.

For forest personnel, the forest is not merely a wildlife habitat or a destination for visitors. It is their workplace — and for some, it became their final resting place.

As Assam continues its efforts to protect its forests and wildlife, the sacrifices of those who died on the frontline remain an integral part of the state's conservation history.