Guwahati, April 16: The Kaziranga National Park has ordered an inquiry into the death of a forest guard at the Kohora range of the park on Wednesday night.

Sibiam Hemron, a dedicated worker, had to avoid a dirt track as there was a herd of elephant in his way. He tried to swim across the Nowbhanga Beel (waterbody) to reach his base camp, but drowned. His body was fished out yesterday.

The incident is a case study for the plight of forest guards at the world heritage site.

A Kaziranga official said there were four guards at the Nowbhanga anti-poaching camp.

“While two guards had gone out on a routine foot patrol on Wednesday evening, two were at the camp,” the official said.

Around evening, the two guards, including Sibiam, were returning to the camp when they came across a herd of wild elephants.

“The two guards decided to swim across the Nowbhanga Beel which was the only way to reach the camp. Sibiam drowned in the process,” the official said.

The other guard accompanying him was standing on the bank. He sent the information over wireless.

On receiving the message, a search operation was launched at the waterbody on Wednesday evening, but had to be called off because of heavy rain. The body was fished out yesterday morning. The Nowbhanga Beel is about seven feet deep.

The official said it was not clear how Sibiam had drowned. “He was a good swimmer. Probably he had a heart attack. The actual cause of death could be known only after the post-mortem,” the official said.

Sibiam is not an isolated case at Kaziranga as the park is plagued by staff shortage and absence of government funds to meet the medical expenses or other benefits of those who are behind the successful preservation of the one-horned rhino.

Kaziranga witnessed deaths of 13 forest guards, 60 were rendered invalid for the rest of their life with grievous injuries; three turned mentally deranged in the last decade.

Eighty per cent of the forest guards have high blood pressure because of stress and tension — results of huge work pressure and staying alone inside jungle camps for long duration, a study has revealed.

The park now has about 200 forest guards against the requirement of almost three times the figure as Kaziranga was extended to over a 1,000 square km after being declared a tiger reserve.

“Not only the animals are marooned during the floods, our guards are equally affected,” another forest official said.