An official said none were injured in the gunfight in Ranga Reserve Forest. (Representational)
Illegal tree fellers from Arunachal Pradesh and forest officers of Assam exchanged fire along the inter-state boundary in Lakhimpur district on Tuesday, a senior official said. However, none were injured in the incident that took place in Ranga Reserve Forest, he said.
Lakhimpur Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Ashok Kumar Dev Choudhury said that Rampur Range Beat Officer Banamali Narah heard sounds of felling of trees in the morning when he was jogging in the area.
"(Mr) Narah immediately informed me and I asked him to go to the spot with a team and check it. As they approached the location, the miscreants fired one round in the air and then two rounds at the team," Mr Choudhury told news agency PTI.
The forest personnel retaliated and fired three rounds at them, he said.
"As the forest team was not prepared to handle such attacks, I asked my officers to return for their safety. Later, I informed the police and district officials for necessary action," Mr Choudhury added.
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