And Munda moved around the World Heritage Site for four hours on Friday night, all the while carrying the firearm in brazen defiance of the laws, to “try and understand the problem of poaching”.

His visit came barely hours after yet another rhino had fallen prey to the bullets of the poachers. Meanwhile, senior forest officials sought to downplay the minister’s armed entry inside the park. “There is no violation as such,” Kaziranga Director M K Yadav claimed.

Divisional Forest Officer M K Seal Sarma said, “He (Munda) is the Forest Minister. Possibly, he can enter the park with a firearm. The minister has a licence for the pistol and he entered with due permission,” Sarma argued. But wildlife activists, as well as a section of the forest officials, alleged that the minister’s action was a clear violation of the Wildlife Protection Act.

“The minister’s armed entry into the park was in violation of the Wildlife Protection Act. The Act says no person, other than authorised forest guards and officials, can enter a wildlife sanctuary or a national park with a firearm,” wildlife activist Soumyadeep Dutta said. He also wondered as to why Munda needed a firearm when he was accompanied by the forest guards.

“No unauthorised person can carry firearms inside a wildlife sanctuary or a national park,” a senior forest official told Express on condition of anonymity.

Another official, who also asked not to be named, said the minister act was a clear violation of the law. “I won’t talk about other things. Even the pistol he was carrying was not allotted in his name,” the official said. An outsider can enter a national park or a wildlife sanctuary with a firearm only if there is a particular case for which his entry was needed.