Kaziranga guards posted in camps deep inside Kaziranga, tell NDTV that they can't leave their posts unmanned even on voting day.
Kaziranga National Park:
Abhijeet Barua, a 47-year-old forest guard at Assam's Kaziranga National Park for the past two decades, has voted only in three elections so far.
Mr Barua says guards like him, who are posted in camps deep inside Kaziranga, can't leave their posts unmanned even on voting day.
"We take an hour by foot to reach this point and from here if we walk to the polling booth, it would take us two hours. We won't be able to return the same day if it's gets dark," says Mr Barua.
It's the same story for nearly 1000 front line guards at the Kaziranga park - a world heritage site - that's spread over 430 square kilometers. With poachers targeting the famed one-horned rhinos, forest personnel simply can't lower their guard.
Sidheshwar Das, whose polling booth is in his village - about 100 kilometres away from the park - says he will have to skip voting.
He says colleagues whose polling stations are located in bordering villages can still attempt to vote.
But for people like him, that's not possible. They can't return to the park the same day, especially after it gets dark.
"When it gets dark, animals come out and roam about on the kuccha roads inside the park. We simply can't move," says the 39-year-old guard.
While preparing lunch for himself and his colleagues, Mr Das wonders if authorities can offer them the option of postal ballot.
"We can't return the same day after voting. If the postal ballot is given to us, we can vote without leaving our camps," Mr Das tells NDTV.
For guards like him, protecting Assam's pride - the rare one horned rhino - is just as important as exercising their right to vote.
Mr Barua says guards like him, who are posted in camps deep inside Kaziranga, can't leave their posts unmanned even on voting day.
"We take an hour by foot to reach this point and from here if we walk to the polling booth, it would take us two hours. We won't be able to return the same day if it's gets dark," says Mr Barua.
It's the same story for nearly 1000 front line guards at the Kaziranga park - a world heritage site - that's spread over 430 square kilometers. With poachers targeting the famed one-horned rhinos, forest personnel simply can't lower their guard.
Sidheshwar Das, whose polling booth is in his village - about 100 kilometres away from the park - says he will have to skip voting.
He says colleagues whose polling stations are located in bordering villages can still attempt to vote.
But for people like him, that's not possible. They can't return to the park the same day, especially after it gets dark.
"When it gets dark, animals come out and roam about on the kuccha roads inside the park. We simply can't move," says the 39-year-old guard.
While preparing lunch for himself and his colleagues, Mr Das wonders if authorities can offer them the option of postal ballot.
"We can't return the same day after voting. If the postal ballot is given to us, we can vote without leaving our camps," Mr Das tells NDTV.
For guards like him, protecting Assam's pride - the rare one horned rhino - is just as important as exercising their right to vote.
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