An FIR has been allegedly registered against the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the state zoo in Guwahati and the Regional Forest Officer following allegations made by the Zoo Protection Forum.
According to sources, the forum has accused the officials of faking the claim of a leopard roaming freely in the area.
The FIR, lodged by the Zoo Protection Forum, alleges that the authorities' actions have created a sense of terror among the public and violated human rights.
Investigations into the matter are currently underway to determine the veracity of the allegations made by the protection forum.
Panic gripped locals as a leopard was seen wandering in Guwahati’s Hengrabari area on Wednesday.
The Assam State Zoo authorities issued a notice regarding this and urged people of the residential colonies to be vigilant during the night hours.
The District Forest Officer has people not to go up the hill inside the zoo. He also advised parents not to leave their children alone.
The zoo authorities also prohibited people from going into the dense forest in Hengrabari.
Again, on Wednesday evening, the authorities of the Assam State Zoo have issued a clarification regarding the advisory on the sighting of a leopard.
The Divisional Forest Officer of the zoo clarified that there was no direct sighting of any leopard in and around the zoo area. He said that some footprints were sighted at the hilly area of the zoo during regular patrolling, which was suspected to be of a leopard.
