Kaziranga ESZ row: Residents protest against Gaurav Gogoi, Akhil Gogoi’s 10-km demand

Hundreds of residents living around Kaziranga National Park took to the streets in Assam’s Kaliabor on Tuesday, August 18, backing the state government’s decision to reduce the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around the national park from 10 km to 1 km.
 

Residents staged a protest from Kuthari to Bagori, carrying placards and raising slogans against Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi and MLA Akhil Gogoi.
 

The protest followed Gogoi’s reported remarks that the ESZ around Kaziranga should extend up to 10 km instead of the proposed 1 km.
 

Members of the Karbi Students’ Association and residents of Karbi Anglong also participated in the protest. Some protesters staged a semi-nude demonstration to oppose the demand for a wider ESZ.
 

The protesters argued in favour of the 1-km ESZ and said the concerns and interests of communities living around Kaziranga should be taken into consideration.
 

A large group of protesters also took part in a march from Kuthari to Bagori as part of the demonstration.