Overview
- The Constitutional Conduct Group, a cohort of 40 retired civil servants, wrote to Chief Secretary Ravi Kota on Tuesday urging an immediate rollback of the deployment.
- Assam’s March 19 order assigns about 1,600 Assam Forest Protection Force personnel to assist police for the Assembly elections, with reporting due by April 3 and return on April 10.
- The letter says Election Commission guidelines bar using territorial forest staff for election work and cites a 2024 Supreme Court ruling that exempted forest officials and department vehicles from poll duties.
- Wildlife experts warn that pulling trained guards from parks like Kaziranga could weaken patrols that deter poachers and encroachment, putting species such as the one-horned rhino and hoolock gibbon at greater risk.
- The government has not withdrawn the order, and personnel remain slated to report before the April 9 vote, with signatories warning that ignoring binding directions could invite court scrutiny.