State To File Affidavit Before High Court On Violent Clash In Assam Government's Eviction Drive

On September 23, a spine chilling video of clashes between the police and a group of protestors surfaced on social media. The feud over the state's eviction drive to remove illegal encroachers took an ugly and unfortunate turn. When gunshots in the air failed, the police resorted to lathi charge to stop the ruckus. In a fatal turn of events, one man armed with a lathi was shot by the police. Making matters worse, the camera man covering the protests in the district stomped over the already injured protester's body.

Responding to a PIL filed in this matter by opposition leader Debabrata Saikia, the court on Thursday asked the state government to file an affidavit on the eviction drive and the resultant clash which took away the life of two people and injured several others. 

The government wanted to free the land from illegal occupants. While the opposition party has criticised the government over lack of a rehabilitation policy, the tensions over evictions are not new in the district.

The Advocate General of Assam responded to the criticism meted out to the state government and called it politically motivated. He asserted that the government was carrying out the eviction peacefully when the unprovoked attack on the police happened.  

Back in June, the CM had promised the indigenous communities to free up the land occupied by illegal migrants and make it available for agriculture and afforestation.

On the other hand, the people facing eviction in the area claim to be living there for a number of years. Floods are said to be a common reason for migration among the marginalised groups in Assam.

While the conflict has become part and parcel of the regional politics in Assam, the September 23 incident has twisted the matter further.