Normal life was affected by a 12-hour bandh called by various organizations in Assam’s Darrang district on Friday to protest the death of two people in police firing.
On Thursday, two persons were killed and 20 others were injured in clashes between police and alleged encroachers during an eviction drive in villages under Sipajhar revenue division.
No untoward incident has been reported so far in the bandh called by the All Minority Organization Coordination Committee, which includes All Assam Minority Students’ Union (AAMSU) and Jamiat-e-Ulema, which began at 5 am on Friday. Police officer said. All business establishments remained closed and very few vehicles ply on the roads. Security has been tightened across the district with heavy deployment in Goroikhuti, Dholpur I and III villages of Sipajhar where the eviction operation was underway, he said.
A Congress delegation, including its state chief Bhupen Bora, Rajya Sabha MP Ripun Bora, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) deputy leader Rakibul Hussain and other senior leaders protested outside the office of Deputy Commissioner Darrang in Mangaldoi, the district headquarters. Party spokesperson Bobita Sharma said the delegation was also scheduled to submit a memorandum to Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi through the Deputy Commissioner.
Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta visited the district on Thursday night to review the law and order situation and announced that the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) would investigate the incident. “Some facts have come to the fore while there are many which are yet to be revealed. CID will investigate all aspects,” he told reporters.
The DGP said the photographer of the Deputy Commissioner’s office, who was seen kicking and hitting a man allegedly shot dead by security personnel in a viral video, has been arrested and is in the custody of the CID. Was. The state government has announced a judicial inquiry into the incident by a retired Gauhati High Court judge, whose name is yet to be announced.
The 11 seriously injured people, three of whom were policemen and the rest civilians, were shifted to the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) late Thursday night, its superintendent Abhijit Sharma said. The condition of one policeman and three civilians is stated to be critical, while the condition of the rest is stable, though they are under observation, he said.
BJP MLA Padma Hazarika, who is in charge of the ousted government’s community agriculture project, said the protesters had already dispersed after a positive discussion with the Deputy Commissioner, who had assured them that their demands would be met. Will go and adequate rehabilitation package will be provided to them. “Then who attacked the policemen and on whose provocation should be investigated. If the parties involved think that they can stop the eviction drive and farming project, then they are wrong. The project will be completed successfully,” he said. They said.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said on Thursday that the ongoing eviction drive would not be stopped and the police tasked with clearing the land of “illegal encroachers” would continue to do so till the work is completed. The Darrang district administration has since Monday cleared 602.4 hectares of land and evicted 800 families and demolished four “illegally” built religious structures in Sipajhar.
The Chief Minister had visited the area on June 7 and inspected the river areas allegedly encroached by ‘illegal residents’ near the Dholpur Shiv temple and directed the district administration to clear the area for setting up a community agriculture project. Had given.
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