By Matters India Reporter
Guwahati: The Christian Community of Assam on September 23 joined others to express shock and anguish over what they is “the most inhumane act” of land eviction.
“In the most inhumane eviction operation carried out at Gorokhuti in the Darrang district of Assam, some 800 families belonging to the Muslim community are alleged to have been made homeless,” says Allen Brooks, spokesperson of the Assam Christian Forum.
According to ndtv.com, two civilians were killed and nine policemen injured earlier in the day when an anti-encroachment drive in Assam’s Darrang district led to clash between the police and protesters. On camera, policemen in riot gear and armed with guns and sticks reportedly chased and attacked protesters and even firing shots.
A video shared on social media platforms shows a group of policemen surround a protester and shoot him from point blank range. The most bizarre and shocking moment was when a photojournalist attacks the person, who was apparently dead. The police personal are seen beating up the man.
Brooks says the “horrifying visuals” show a government cameraman filming the clash attacking a protester who had earlier followed him with a stick.
“The protester, beaten by policemen, lay motionless as the cameraman kept attacking him until he was restrained. The police are now searching for the cameraman,” Brooks told Matters India.
Condemning the visuals as “very disgusting, disturbing and painful,” the Catholic lay leader bemoans that the violence took place in a democratic country like India from where Mahatma Gandhi had spread the message of nonviolence.
The Christian forum has appealed the state government to set up a judicial enquiry into the incident and bring to book all involved in the “heinous act” and ensure such incidents are not repeated.
Later in the day, the Assam government ordered an inquiry by a retired judge of the Gauhati High Court into the killings and the circumstances leading to the incident.
Some 800 families were reportedly evicted on September 20 in the drive against encroachments at Dholpur. The state reportedly wants to repossess 4,500 bighas (1,487.6 acres) of government land for an agricultural project.
The police said local people September 23 attacked them with stones forcing them to use force.
“Nine of our policemen were injured. Two civilians were also injured. They have been shifted to hospital. Now things are normal,” said Superintendent of Police Sushanta Biswa Sarma who was at the site of the clash.
He told the reporters that the police could not complete the eviction because of the tense situation.
Asked about the footage, he said “The area is big. I was on another side. I will find out and assess the situation.”
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had tweeted after the eviction drive, “I am happy and compliment district administration of Darrang and Assam Police for having cleared about 4500 bigha, by evicting 800 households.”
Reports say the government decided in June to repossess the land for a farming project and had served notices to alleged encroachers.
The eviction drives are being undertaken more than three months after Sarma promised to clear encroachments from over 77,000 bighas (25,455 acres) of government land to make space for organic farming by unemployed young people.
Rahul Gandhi of the Congress, the main opposition in the state, condemned the incident and tweeted that “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.
Encroachers should have left on their own rather than be forcefully removed. Government land is not for land grab mafia. Normally such occupations are organised by gangsters by collecting a fee from the poor. The question to be answered is whether these illegal occupiers are Assam domiciled citizens of India or illegal immigrants. In the case of latter, they need to return to from where they came. If they are citizens then the government may consider resettling them in land to be identified for this purpose.