A Muslim woman, identified as Rahima Khatun was killed in gunfire by forest guards on Monday in Assam’s Burha Chapori Wildlife Sanctuary after a clash between people who had been evicted from the area and forest department officials.
The clash broke out after people who were evicted from the Burha Chapori Wildlife Sanctuary returned due to flooding in their makeshift settlement.
Three others were also injured in gunfire by forest guards in the afternoon. Three forest guards were also injured.
“Rahima Khatun’s family had come the previous day and put up a tarpaulin tent because the land there is higher and they needed a place to keep their goats and cows,” Abdul Noor, the Nagaon district president of the All Assam Minority Students’ Union, told The Indian Express.
Nagaon Wildlife Divisional Forest Officer Jayanta Deka said that the forest guard fired after people attacked them.
Khatun’s husband Samser Ali was also suffered a gunshot wound and was hospitalised.
