The Citizens' Welfare Forum, Jorhat, has expressed serious concern over the depredations wreaked by herds of wild elephants in Jorhat and Majuli subdivisions. In a strongly-worded statement, office-bearers of the body have asked Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain to visit the jumbo-ravaged areas of Majuli to assess the losses suffered by poor sections of people residing on saporis. If an outcry is raised against the killing of rhinos in Kaziranga National Park, adequate attention should be paid to the rampage caused by wild elephants, too, the forum members reasoned.

Three wild elephants, which were tailing a herd towards Kaziranga National Park, trampled to death one Baap Hazarika (70) and injured two others at Sial Chapori near Dergaon last night. The body of the deceased man was recovered this morning. Hazarika is the fifth victim in jumbo attacks which took place in the riverine areas along the Brahmaputra river this year. Meanwhile, the marauding jumbo herd, which had been driven away towards the national park, destroyed the Mohpora forest camp under Agaratoli range of KNP. There are no reports of any casualty.

Five persons have been arrested by the police near the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) in connection with their alleged involvement in rhino poaching. The arrested persons have been identified as Manir Khan (Jakhalabandha), Maman Ahmed (Mathoni TE), Nagina Majhi (Hatikhuli TE), Dhiren Ingti and Biren Ingti (Inglapar). Meanwhile, 100 armed Home Guard personnel and six forest officials have been deployed in the KNP to check poaching, sources said.

The BJP came out on the streets yesterday to protests against recent killings of rhinos at the Kaziranga National Park in Assam. The protesters were showing their angst at the recent spur in poaching incidents at the national park. The protesters blamed the Bangladeshi immigrants who have encroached the forestland at Kaziranga for the poaching incidents. They also burnt an effigy of forest minister Raqib-ul-Hussain for showing apathy towards the issue.

what gives Darjeeling tea its much sought after flavour? A team of scientists is trying to find out just that. Experts at India's Tea Research Association's Tocklai Experimental Station (tes) in

Jorhat, Dec.