India, March 30 -- A group of former civil servants and wildlife specialists has requested that the Assam government cancel an instruction requiring nearly 1,600 Assam Forest Protection Force (AFPF) personnel to work on election-related duties, cautioning that it could undermine forest management and violate regulations.

Through a public appeal, the group warned that diverting AFPF members to electoral tasks could leave protected areas exposed during a critical period and conflict with existing laws and administrative rules.

The signatories warned that such redeployment could pull essential staff away from their core conservation work.

The letter noted that Election Commission of India (ECI) rules clearly state that territorial forest ...