Two killed, nine cops injured during violent clashes in Assam's Darrang district

According to the reports, the clash broke out at Dholpur Gorukhuti area in Darrang district on Thursday when a team of security personnel went to the area to evict the illegal encroachers from a large swath of land that belongs to a state farming project.

When the security personnel reached the area, thousands of local people gathered and raised slogans against the eviction drive while trying to stop the district administration.

Some protesters allegedly attacked the police personnel with sharp weapons, lathis and pelted stones prompting the police personnel to start firing.

The district administration carried out eviction drives at Dholpur Bazar area, West Chuba area, 1 no Dholpur and 3 no Dholpur area under Sipajhar revenue circle.

The clash took place in between 1 no Dholpur and 3 no Dholpur area when the security personnel and officials of district administration reached that area.

Darrang district Superintendent of Police (SP) Sushanta Biswa Sarma said that nine police personnel were also injured in the protesters attack.

"So far, I have received information that two protesters were injured in police firing and they were rushed to hospital. Update will come. 9 police personnel were also injured," Sushanta Biswa Sarma said.

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Bhupen Kumar Borah strongly condemned the police firing on resident protesters of Dholpur area in Sipajhar and said the very act of eviction is itself inhuman specially during Covid situation.

"The Supreme Court had also given a directive against eviction during pandemic situation yet the Assam Government led by CM Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma has remained adamant behaving in an autocratic manner to evict the residents of Dholpur who have been living in the area since the 1970's. Before eviction, the government should have arranged for rehabilitation and alternative housing," he said.

"The people in the area have been subjected to harassment repeatedly by the BJP Government since they came to power in 2016. Without alternative arrangements for land and housing  where will these poor people go and how will they survive? They are mostly cultivators and their source of sustenance is being attacked," he alleged.

"We demand that the CM should first rehabilitate the people and not evict them forcefully. It is becoming very clear that the BJP Government only knows how to govern through the might of the bullet as seen in fake encounters and now in open firing on people. Such type of governance is highly condemnable and is dangerous for a democratic society," Bhupen Borah said.

Many organizations including All Assam Minorities Students' Union (AAMSU) have staged protests against the incident in Morigaon, Darrang and many other parts of the state.

Meanwhile, the Assam Congress has demanded a judicial probe into the incident.

The Assam cabinet had earlier taken a decision to recover the land completely from encroachers and convert it to a state farming project.

Earlier, the government recovered 4500 bighas of land where nearly 800 households illegally occupied the land.

Situation is still tense in the area.