Violent incident over eviction left two killed and several including police injured in Dholpur of Darrang district
by Mayukh Goswami
Mangaldai :: Two persons have reportedly succumbed to bullet injuries while several others including police personnels got injured when a protest demonstration against an eviction drive at No 3 Dholpur village under Sipajhar revenue circle suddenly turned violent and police resorted to firing to disperse the mob where two persons have been killed. The deceased have been identified as Saddam Hussain and Sheikh Farid. One on duty police official Maniruddin Ahmed sustained severe injuries and he was referred to GMCH from Mangaldai Civil Hospital in a critical condition. Two other policemen Amiya Gogoi and Manash Pratim Baruah also got injured in an attack by the mob.
The death figure may increase as among the injured persons condition of few of them are stated to be critical. However in an official statement issued late evening the no casualty has been reported to be one . The incident took place at around 1-30 pm on September 23, when senior officials from the administration and the Assam Police including Brajenjit Singha, DIG, Assam Police, Central West Region were trying to pacify the protesters after they put strong resistance to the team of administration and police in carrying out eviction at No 3 Dholpur. Meanwhile the official sources stated that the local protesting people being satisfied with the discussion were going back . But as the administration started eviction in zone 3 area , some miscreants equipped with sharp objects came out of the nearby bush and jungles and attacked the team from the administration injuring several security personnel. The miscreants even moved forward to the retreating security team thereby compelling them to firing in self-defence .
It may be mentioned here that on September 20 last the administration had peacefully conducted an eviction drive at No 1 Dholpur and No 3 Dholpur to free 4500 bighas of government land which were occupied by nearly 800 families . The government is planning to start a multipurpose agricultural project at the site involving an amount of nearly Rs 10 crore to generate self employment for several hundreds of local youths. Later several minority organizations including AAMSU, Sangkhya Laghu Sangram Parishad and also opposition Congress condemned the eviction as inhumane without taking any rehabilitation and other essential support measures to the eviction affected people.
