Retired IAS-IFS officers protest over deployment of Forest Protection Force in election duty in Assam, violation of ECI and SC of India .
Retired IAS-IFS officers protest over deployment of Forest Protection Force in election duty in Assam, violation of ECI and SC of India .
Retired IAS-IFS officers protest over deployment of Forest Protection Force in election duty in Assam, violation of ECI and SC of India .
Pankaj Nath, Assam, March 30 :
Retired IAS and IFS officers and forest conservationists have raised serious objections to the order issued on March 19, 2026, by the Special Chief Secretary of the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department, Government of Assam, MK Yadav, who was temporary appointed by the Assam cabinet as Special Chief Secretary of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department. The order directs the deployment of around 1600 personnel of the Assam Forest Protection Force (AFPF) on upcoming election duty, which is a direct violation of the clear guidelines of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the orders of the Supreme Court. The group of retired officers was constituted by the Chief Secretary, Government of Assam; The Chief Electoral Officer/Commissioner, Assam and Special Chief Secretary, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department have written a letter demanding immediate withdrawal of this order. The signatories to the letter include Meena Gupta, IAS (retired), former Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests; Dr. A.K. Jha IFS (Retd), former PCCF Maharashtra; Dr. Uma Shankar Singh IFS (Retd.), Former PCCF Uttar Pradesh; Prerna Singh Bindra, former member, Standing Committee, National Board for Wildlife; Debaditya Sinha, wildlife conservationist and legal and policy analyst and Prakriti Srivastava IFS (retd.), former PCCF Kerala. Prakriti Srivastava has signed the letter on behalf of the co-signatories. The letter states that as per the ECI guidelines, the regional forest forces and serving forest officers — including senior IFS officers — cannot be engaged on election-related duties. These instructions are to ensure that the important work of forest conservation and management is not hampered at any time. The deployment of the AFPF is particularly concerning in the context of Assam’s wildlife of global importance, where the largest population of the endangered Indian rhinoceros is in protected areas like the Kaziranga National Park. Symbolic and endangered species such as hoolock gibbon (the only ape species in India), golden langur, pygmy hog, elephant and tiger are prominently found in Assam. The deployment of AFPF personnel on election duty will weaken the protection mechanism at the grassroots level, increasing the threat to organized wildlife criminals. The letter warns that these areas will be handed over to poachers and encroachers. Further, the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in its order dated 15th May 2024 has explicitly exempted forest officers and departmental vehicles from election duty. The court had directed that forest personnel and forest vehicles in all states should not be acquired for election purposes or for any other purpose like Char Dham Yatra. Any administrative action contrary to this judicial directive raises serious legal and constitutional concerns. The letter demands that: The controversial order of 19 March 2026 be withdrawn immediately. Strict adherence to the ECI guidelines and Supreme Court directions should be ensured in future. Retired officials have warned that the move will undermine forest and wildlife conservation, bring the state government under judicial scrutiny and set a dangerous precedent of neglect of statutory safeguards and institutional integrity. “The matter demands immediate attention to prevent administrative encroachment, uphold the rule of law and ensure the protection of forests, wildlife and their habitats,” he said. “The controversy underscores the challenge of balancing forest conservation and the democratic process as Assam gears up for the polls. There is no response from the department yet, but the retired officials expressed hope that the higher authorities of the government will not directly violate the clear guidelines of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the orders of the Supreme Court in considering it soon and will definitely reject such a decision.
