NEW DELHI: The eviction drive in Assam turned violent on Thursday as a mob clashed with the police, which to push back the protestors, resorted to lathi charge and opened fire — leading to the death of two people.
Assam Police was carrying out the drive to evict alleged encroachers in the Kamrup (Metropolitan) district when the incident occurred.
A team from the Sonapur circle office and the police went to Kochutoli village in the district to evict Bengali-speaking Muslim villagers who had previously been removed from the encroached land but had again returned, an official told news agency PTI.
The villagers, including women, attacked the officials and policemen with sharp weapons, sticks and stones, resulting in injuries to a magistrate and over 20 police personnel, the official claimed, adding that a police vehicle was also damaged in the incident.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma blamed the Congress for the situation that developed and said that a revenue circle officer was also injured in the clash.
“The eviction drive happened peacefully. When the Congress started opposing the eviction drive in the morning, the situation became worse and a large number of people with lathis, bamboo sticks attacked the police and government officials team who went to the area today. 22 police personnel and a Revenue Circle officer were injured. Police also resorted to firing shots and two people died and seven others are injured,” Sarma said.
The deceased have been identified as Jubahir Ali and Haider Ali, he said.
Sonapur circle officer Nitul Khataniar, deputy commissioner of police (East) Mrinal Deka and Sonapur police station officer-in-charge, Hirak Jyoti Saikia are among those who got injured.
Later, more security forces were deployed in the village with senior civil and police officials, who together brought the situation under control but the tension prevailed in the entire area.
Assam Police was carrying out the drive to evict alleged encroachers in the Kamrup (Metropolitan) district when the incident occurred.
A team from the Sonapur circle office and the police went to Kochutoli village in the district to evict Bengali-speaking Muslim villagers who had previously been removed from the encroached land but had again returned, an official told news agency PTI.
The villagers, including women, attacked the officials and policemen with sharp weapons, sticks and stones, resulting in injuries to a magistrate and over 20 police personnel, the official claimed, adding that a police vehicle was also damaged in the incident.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma blamed the Congress for the situation that developed and said that a revenue circle officer was also injured in the clash.
“The eviction drive happened peacefully. When the Congress started opposing the eviction drive in the morning, the situation became worse and a large number of people with lathis, bamboo sticks attacked the police and government officials team who went to the area today. 22 police personnel and a Revenue Circle officer were injured. Police also resorted to firing shots and two people died and seven others are injured,” Sarma said.
The deceased have been identified as Jubahir Ali and Haider Ali, he said.
Sonapur circle officer Nitul Khataniar, deputy commissioner of police (East) Mrinal Deka and Sonapur police station officer-in-charge, Hirak Jyoti Saikia are among those who got injured.
Later, more security forces were deployed in the village with senior civil and police officials, who together brought the situation under control but the tension prevailed in the entire area.