Many among those evicted claimed that it was a drive targeting only the Muslim community. Assamese people were not evicted, they claimed
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Two Bengali-speaking Muslim youths were killed and several injured near Guwahati in Assam on Thursday as police opened fire on “illegal settlers” who allegedly attacked government officials and police personnel overseeing their eviction from the government land.
The victims have been identified as Zubahir Ali, 19 and Haidar Ali, 22, police said. Eleven other protesters were also injured in the clash, media reports reaching here said on Friday.
The reports quoted GP Singh, Director General of Police, as saying that the alleged encroachers also injured 22 police personnel including women. The incident took place when a team of officials from Sonapur revenue circle and police personnel went to Kochutoli village and asked the alleged encroachers to vacate the land, which is protected for tribals only.
Singh said since Monday, 248 bighas of government land have been “cleared and 237 illegally constructed structures” were removed by the authorities.
Many among those evicted claimed that it was a drive targeting Muslims as the BJP government had similarly evicted many belonging to the minority community in the past. They also claimed that Assamese people were not evicted from the government land.
Maulana Barduddin Ajmal, the chief of All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), said the killing of the two homeless villagers was inhuman. He urged the government to halt eviction drives launched without arranging for the resettlement of those evicted.
In September 2021, two Bengali-speaking Muslims were similarly killed in police firing during an eviction drive at Gorukhuti in Darrang district in North Assam.
Reports said many of those evicted from the land since Monday had returned and were living in makeshift tents. “As the officials on Thursday went there and asked them to vacate the land, a large crowd came chasing and attacked the officials with sticks and sharp objects. Police initially fired in the air but as the crowd did not relent and kept attacking the officials and police personnel, police had to open fire. Two of them succumbed to bullet injuries in Sonapur hospital,” an official of Kamrup Metro district, under which the area comes, said. The Sonapur revenue circle officer, Nitul Khatoniar was also injured in the attack by the mob, he said.
Singh said Guwahati police have been instructed to identify those who had attacked the government officials and police.
The official said the eviction was carried out as part of the Assam government’s directive to clear the government and forest land from “encroachers”.
