Arunachal: DEWS indulges into hunting, thorough investigation leads to arrest of 3 out of 5 hunters

In a very saddening state of affairs for the protection and conservation of flora & fauna of D. Ering Wildlife Sanctuary (DEWS), Pasighat, Arunachal a departmental protection squad contingency staff was found indulged in hunting activities inside the sanctuary who led 4 other hunters out of which 3 are already arrested and 2 are still absconding.

Following the registration of a case vide Pasighat PS Case No. 131/2020 U/S 447 IPC R/w Sec-27(1) Arms Act, Sec-51(1) Wildlife Protection Act 1972, a departmental staff of Borguli Range one Nirmasing Pertin from Namsing village was arrested on 13th August 2020 and as per his confession and revelation two other hunters namely Nironjon Regon and Yago Perme from Kongkul/Padan village under Mebo Sub-Division here in East Siang District was arrested on 14th August 2020. As per police sources, two others absconding are Oimolsingh Pangging and Kanduram from Namsing village, Arunachal and they are evading the police arrest from last 4 days.

As per Dodo Perme and Apuram Sisam, the two staff eye witnesses of the hunting incident the hunting incident reportedly took place on the afternoon of 10^th June 2020 at around 3 PM where two gunshots were heard nearby Range Office one after one at the south-east of the Range office camp of the Borguli range. And on being informed to Oson Tayeng, the then Range Officer and Naning Perme, the present Range Officer about the incident on phone, the two staffs were given instructions  to search and check the hunters toward the Siang river bank at south-east from where the hunters enters into the sanctuary by using country boat. As per the witness account of Perme and Sisam, the four hunters were seen fleeing with a hunted deer on the boat but the staff duo couldn’t confront the armed four hunters. However, both Perme and Sisam informed the Rangers that they could recognize one of the hunters as Nirmasing Pertin  by his shirt and physical appearance who was pleading innocence until his arrest.

As per the statements of witness staffs, Nirmasing Pertin was dismissed from the job for his suspected indulgence into the hunting. However, seeing the Range officers being lackadaisical in their handling the case and initial departmental inquiry failed to investigate properly, Nirmasing Pertin challenged the office of DEWS for his dismissal from the job. Pertin was also said of threatening two eyewitnesses of suing them in court by even selling a portion of his agricultural land to defend himself. And to the utter shock for the department both Dodo Perme and Apuram Sisam alleged that the Range Officer was also defending and saving Nirmasing Pertin directly or indirectly and was putting pressure on them to back out from their statement to the Divisional Forest Officer saying Nirmasing Pertin was innocent.

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It is also noteworthy to quote here that the other prime eyewitness Apuram Sisam was threatened by Divisional Forest Officer, territorial forest Division. In a written statement to DFO Wildlife Tasang Taga, witness Apuram Sisam alleged that, DFO territory, Tashi Mize warned him of dragging in the court and even warned not to spare DFO Wildlife Tasang Taga, Arunachal for removal of Nirmasing Pertin from the job in Arunachal. “Tashi Mize, DFO territory forest division is a brother-in-law of Nirmasing Pertin who engaged Pertin in the Sanctuary during his tenure as DFO Wildlife a few years ago. I was deeply shocked by the warning and verbal threat of DFO Mize who as a former DFO D. Ering Wildlife Sanctuary shouldn’t have defended his second wife’s brother as involvement of department staff in hunting activities in the sanctuary demoralizes the morale of other staffs also”, said Apuram Sisam sadly.

Meanwhile, DFO Wildlife Tasang Taga has lauded both Dodo Perme and Apuram Sisam for their strong stance despite pressure and warning from Range Officer and DFO territory both didn’t back out and finally the case was cracked and hunters were arrested including Nirmasing Pertin. Taga informed that the Call Detail Records of Nirmasing Pertin revealed everything who confessed his crime before the police and also before the departmental inquiry team led by Range Officer Sibiyamukh, Domek Koyu and Dy. Range Officer, Orin Perme. The country boat used in the hunting was also retrieved from a thick jungle near the Padan Korong (river) at Kongkul village on Saturday and as per his confession his other two hunter partners were also arrested but two are still absconding. While talking about the non-cooperation of RFO in the case, Tasang Taga said that he is deeply pained by the irresponsible conduct of the officer who not only warned him of losing the case but also tried to mislead the department by mounting pressures on the eye witnesses. “I am issuing an explanation call to RFO for his intention to defend the offenders. I am also suggesting DFO territory Tashi Mize not to interfere in the case of wildlife and rather he should be protective and supportive to the D. Ering Wildlife Sanctuary as he was DEWS's former DFO as RFO Borguli Wildlife Range, Arunachal Naning Perme has also confirmed that DFO (T) Tashi Mize had threatened witness of the case Apuram Sisam and myself through Sisam. Such conducts and acts of forest officers are detrimental to the protection and conservation of flora & fauna of the sanctuary”, added Taga who have also appealed to people of fringe villages to protect and preserve the wildlife as it is the public asset.

Meanwhile, Adi Baane Kebang which have been batting and supporting for conservation and protection of flora & fauna of the sanctuary since the year 2012 has also condemned the act of hunting inside the sanctuary where a departmental staff is found to have indulged in the hunting. “A strong punishment as per law must be given to the hunters, especially to the departmental staff whose joining and connivance with the hunters was giving confidence to the hunters to hunt even in the daylight near the Range Office”, said Okom Yosung, ABK Secretary General in Arunachal. 

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