The report is based on assumptions with no scientific analysis: Experts
HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, June 8: Expressing serious doubts over the probing process to unearth the cause of 18 elephants’ mysterious deaths on Bamuni Pahar in Nagaon district, acclaimed conservation group Nature’s Beckon alleged that the state forest department’s investigation report is full of misinformation.
In a recent digital media interaction, its director Soumyadeep Datta claimed that it was nothing but ‘an attempt to mislead the media and people of Assam’.
“The report cites circumstantial evidence in support of the Bamuni Pahar victim animals’ death by the lightning flash or thunderbolt, but the investigation team didn’t have any expertise to scientifically probe the circumstantial evidence to validate it. Moreover, no such tests confirming the occurrence of lightning/thunderbolt were conducted in the area so far,” asserted Datta.
Conservationist Bhaskar J Barua, who is an engineering graduate, also supported Datta’s view that the forest department’s report was ‘based on assumptions with no scientific analysis’. Nowhere does it say that lightning killed the elephants. Rather they assumed that lightning was the main culprit, said Barua, adding that the leaked histopathology report also hinted at a tentative diagnosis of high voltage electrocution that killed the jumbos.
“But what is meant by high voltage electrocution? How high was the vault difference and what was the source of energy? Did the investigation include other means (read human operated) of electrocution to kill all the elephants?” asked Barua adding that major organs of most of the victims were not examined to assert that they died because of a lightning flash. He insisted on a scientific probe over the matter at the earliest.
Novanita Sharma of Nature’s Beckon informed that the forest minister cleverly cited support from an international organisation (IUCN) regarding the department’s lightning theory but the released report (by himself on 3rd June) did not carry any supporting document to prove the claim. She also stated that the forensic report also said that their thunderbolt theory was solely based on assumptions without any scientific evidence.