Guwahati: As polling ended at the remote Laika and Dodhia polling stations inside Dibru Saikhowa National Park in upper Assam, armed forest guards, not police, escorted polling teams back to district headquarters in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh, respectively. In this difficult terrain within the 340 sq km park, the main risk was not EVM snatching but encounters with wild animals.Known for wild elephants and big cats, Dibru Saikhowa posed a serious challenge for the safe movement of polling staff due to heavy rain since morning. Even in poor weather, forest residents turned out in significant numbers, crossing rivers and dense jungle to vote. The two polling stations serve about 3,700 voters living in the protected forest area, mainly in Laika and Dodhia — villages inhabited for decades by people displaced by floods and erosion.Forest guards secured both polling stations, patrolled forest paths and river routes, and remained posted at anti-poaching camps as hundreds moved through the park to vote. Operations were coordinated from the Guijan Range Headquarters, and no untoward incident was reported, officials said.Although voting ended at 5pm, forest personnel continued moving through forests and river channels for several hours to help transport EVMs for storage in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh. Polling teams began their return from both stations around 6:30pm. Since walking and boats are the only means of travel in the park’s core area, they were expected to reach Guijan Ghat first and then continue by vehicle to Tinsukia and Dibrugarh around 9:30pm.Guijan forest range officer Debasish Dutta, who supervised the forest teams, said, “Forest staff were escorting polling personnel through dark jungle stretches and waterways around 8pm. The day was exhausting but peaceful, with no reports of wild animal attacks.”Nearly 2,000 voters from Dodhia cast their votes, though many elderly residents stayed away because of heavy rain. Pranjal Kachari, a young voter from Dodhia, left home at 5am and reached the polling station around 10am after walking 3 to 5km through dense forest. He said his group of around 60 voters reached Dodhia Upper Primary School polling station, where about 1,400 villagers had already arrived. By 4pm, voting was over and they returned after crossing the Dibru River, a rivulet, and forest stretches.Pranjal’s 75-year-old father made the journey with the help of a wooden stick, while his 70-year-old ailing mother stayed home because of the weather.Dodhia recorded around 72% turnout, while Laika reported about 60% at the time of the last update. Around 160 families from Laika were earlier relocated to the Jagun area of Tinsukia district and reportedly could not vote.Laika had about 1,300 registered voters, and around 15 forest personnel were deployed there because of its remoteness. Dodhia had about seven forest personnel assigned for overall security.
