Hyderabad: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accidentally put a quadcopter worth lakhs into a blaze at Bokakhat on Wednesday. The incident happened on the World Rhino Day, which falls on September 22.
The CM lost control of the drone which was used to spark a fire in a specially designed chamber to burn the 2,479 Rhino horns. Rhinos have been poached for their horns over a myth that claims they have medicinal value. The government wanted to send a strong message against the poaching of Rhinos and burnt the horns.
The drone was ordered from Delhi for this special event and cost of lakhs of rupees. However, the exact price of the drone has not been released by the officials.
The rhino horns were kept at different treasuries of the state since 1979.
Till 1979, the government used to auction the rhino horns seized from poachers or collected by forest officials after the natural death of the animals. However, after 1980, the government discontinued the practice of auctioning horns and instead decided to stock them.
