In  bid to bust the myth around the medicinal use of Rhino horn and spread awareness against poaching and illegal trade of rhino horns, the Assam government on Wednesday consigned 2,479 confiscated rhino horns to flames at Bokakhat on the occasion of World Rhino Day.

"Today is a historic day for Assam & India. We have taken an extraordinary step of burning stockpile of 2479 horns of single-horned Rhinos, first-of-its-kind globally in volume terms, pursuing vision of Hon PM Sri @narendramodi of putting an end to poaching in Assam," Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma posted on Twitter.

(PHOTO: Twitter)

The chief minister said that the state government is preserving 94 rhino horns for display at a museum to be set up at Kaziranga National Park.

"One-horned rhino is not only integral to our civilisation, but also a symbol of our prized heritage and identity. We are preserving 94 rhino horns for display at a museum to be set up at Kaziranga National Park.  The use of rhinos' horns for medicinal purposes is a myth," CM Sarma said in another tweet.

On September 16, the Assam cabinet announced that of the total 2,623 rhino horns stockpiled in state treasuries, 2,479 pieces would be destroyed by consigning them to flames in public. Ninety-four rhino horns will be preserved as archive properties while 50 horns will be preserved for court cases.