Itanagar, May 14 : A visiting forest official who ventured into an Arunachal Pradesh village to photograph butterflies has been abducted by suspected militants belonging to the National Democratic Front of Boroland.
V.S. Bardekar, an Indian Forest Service officer based in Pune, was on a private visit to Daimara village in West Kameng district of Arunachal when he was kidnapped last night.
The area is close to the Assam-Arunachal border, which is known for its large species of butterflies. Bardekar wanted to take pictures and spend the night in the village. “Maybe, he hoped to see some new species,” a forest official of Arunachal Pradesh said.
Bardekar, a cadre of the 1984 batch, is posted at Pune as the joint director (administration), directorate of social forestry, Maharashtra.
Security forces have launched an operation to trace him.
Sources said over 10 youths, armed with automatic rifles and grenades, arrived at the residence of Lam Norvu, where Bardekar was putting up, around 8pm. They beat up a casual worker of the Arunachal Pradesh forest department and a guide who were accompanying Bardekar and took the official away.
Bardekar, Magaji and Tsering had gone to the village on two motorcycles, including one belonging to the Kelong forest beat office. The sources said Bardekar had visited the Eagle’s Nest wildlife sanctuary in the district before arriving at the village.
Prakash Thosre, director, directorate of social forestry, Maharashtra, told The Telegraph over phone from Pune that he had learnt of the abduction this morning. “He was on leave and on a private visit. He had told me he was going to the Northeast. He was supposed to join duty on May 24,” Thosre said.
A senior police officer in Assam said the NDFB was using the hilly and forested terrain on the inter-state boundary to hide and strike.
He admitted that it was difficult to launch counter-insurgency operations in areas where the rebels took shelter, given the terrain.
Sources said the NDFB was holding captive several persons they had abducted from Assam in these areas, including an 11-year-old ailing boy.
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