Anti-encroachment drive in Assam leaves two dead; govt institutes inquiry
The incident occurred when police personnel in riot gear lathi-charged villagers who were protesting against their eviction for allegedly encroaching on government land. The police had also used tear gas and rubber bullets besides firing in the air to disperse the protestors.
An anti-encroachment drive at Sipajhar in Assam's Darrang district escalated into a clash between policemen and locals, leaving two dead and several including policemen injured on Thursday.
The incident occurred when police personnel in riot gear lathi-charged villagers who were protesting against their eviction for allegedly encroaching on government land. The police had also used tear gas and rubber bullets besides firing in the air to disperse the protestors.
The police said that they had to resort to lathi charge after a mob of agitated protestors attacked them with sharp weapons and pelted stones on them.
Horrific scenes emerged when a photographer, allegedly working under ADC Pallavi Kachari, identified as Bijay Bania, was seen attacking a protestor who lay motionless after being thrashed by police personnel. Bania was first seen kicking the man as he lay motionless on the ground and then kneeing him before being pulled away by the accompanying policemen.
Darrang Superintendent of Police Susanta Biswa Sarma told The Northeast Today (TNT), "We were conducting an eviction drive at Sipajhar-Dholpur area when we were attacked by the locals. We resorted to lathi-charge and firing in retaliation, which left many people injured".
Opposition Congress has come down heavily on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government for the police brutality. Condemning the incident, Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi tweeted saying “Assam is on state-sponsored fire”. “I stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the state - no children of India deserve this,” he added.
Condemning the incident, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President, Bhupen Borah said that in the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government the police are a trigger-happy lot. “Nowadays, the police don’t think twice before shooting somebody in Assam. This can’t go on. This is against the Supreme Court’s order that all eviction drives should be put on hold till the government makes arrangements for proper rehabilitation of the people. We, the members of the APCC will be visiting Dholpur tomorrow to take stock of the situation.”
Meanwhile, the Assam government has instituted an inquiry by a retired judge of Gauhati High Court into the incident.
On Monday, after another similar eviction drive in the Sipajhar Revenue Circle, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said that the exercise is aimed at freeing government land from encroachment for the implementation of multi-crore ‘Garukhuti Project’ under which the lands will be used for afforestation and community agriculture activities. In that drive 800 families comprising about 5,000 members were evicted.
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