Bagerhat Correspondent :
Following a 3-day Ras Mela held at Alorkol of Dublar Char (island) on the bank of the Bay of Bengal in the Eastern Division of Sundarbans 57 persons were arrested by the Smart Petrol Team-1 of the Forest Department on Thursday night and on Friday morning on the charge of hunting deer. At that time heads, skins of deer and some arms were recovered from them.
Forest sources said, every year in the month of November a 3-day big Ras Utsab and fair is held at Alorkol of Sundarbans where thousand of Hindu devotees and visitors attend from Bagerhat, Pirojpur, Khulna, Satkhira etc. districts. Taking the opportunity a good number of poachers who attend the fair in the guise of visitors hunt deer illegally.
This year on the occasion of the Ras ceremony the Smart Patrol Team-1 of Sundarbans led by Sultan Mahmud Tito, Forest Officer of Kashiabad forest office raided the different places of the forest at Thursday night and in the following morning (Friday) and arrested those 57 poachers who attended the Ras Utsab in the guise of devotees and visitors. Sultan Mahmud, leader of the patrol team told, on the occasion while the members of the patrol team were discharging their duties in Sundarbans founmd two trawlers (which were boarded by 57 devotees and visitors from Khulna, Satkhir and Jashohar districts) were moving aimlessly. Then the team halted the trawlers, searched them and recovered heads, skins of deer, a 50 meters long trap and some arms like axes, knives etc used for hunting/catching deer. The arrested persons were sued under Forest Act. On Friday evening they were sent to Koira Upazila Court.
Following a 3-day Ras Mela held at Alorkol of Dublar Char (island) on the bank of the Bay of Bengal in the Eastern Division of Sundarbans 57 persons were arrested by the Smart Petrol Team-1 of the Forest Department on Thursday night and on Friday morning on the charge of hunting deer. At that time heads, skins of deer and some arms were recovered from them.
Forest sources said, every year in the month of November a 3-day big Ras Utsab and fair is held at Alorkol of Sundarbans where thousand of Hindu devotees and visitors attend from Bagerhat, Pirojpur, Khulna, Satkhira etc. districts. Taking the opportunity a good number of poachers who attend the fair in the guise of visitors hunt deer illegally.
This year on the occasion of the Ras ceremony the Smart Patrol Team-1 of Sundarbans led by Sultan Mahmud Tito, Forest Officer of Kashiabad forest office raided the different places of the forest at Thursday night and in the following morning (Friday) and arrested those 57 poachers who attended the Ras Utsab in the guise of devotees and visitors. Sultan Mahmud, leader of the patrol team told, on the occasion while the members of the patrol team were discharging their duties in Sundarbans founmd two trawlers (which were boarded by 57 devotees and visitors from Khulna, Satkhir and Jashohar districts) were moving aimlessly. Then the team halted the trawlers, searched them and recovered heads, skins of deer, a 50 meters long trap and some arms like axes, knives etc used for hunting/catching deer. The arrested persons were sued under Forest Act. On Friday evening they were sent to Koira Upazila Court.
