Assam Police open fire during eviction drive in Sonapur; Two reportedly dead, several injured
Guwahati: An eviction drive in the Sonapur area on the outskirts of Guwahati turned violent on Thursday, with Assam Police resorting to firing on protesters. Local activists have reported that at least two people were killed in the police firing, while several others sustained injuries, a report published in Maktoob stated.
The confrontation occurred as residents protested the demolition of their food grains and makeshift homes. During the clash, numerous protesters and police personnel, including the circle officer of Sonapur, were injured. Shahjahan, a local resident, told Maktoob that his son had been shot and that 17 to 18 dwellers were wounded in the police firing.
The evictions, which began on August 21, targeted Muslim residents accused of encroaching on government land. For three days, the process had been relatively peaceful. After their homes were demolished, the residents stayed near the remains of their homes in Ward 1 and Ward 2 of Kachutali village, despite warnings from Assam Police to vacate the area within two days.
Tensions escalated when bulldozers arrived to destroy the temporary shelters and food grains that had been stored nearby. The protest turned violent as residents resisted the destruction of their remaining possessions.
Shahjahan, whose family had moved to the area after erosion in their native Mayong Basbari village in Darrang district, said the residents had been living in the area for around a decade after being displaced by natural calamities. "We are neither illegal migrants nor encroachers," he said. "We bought small plots of land here after our village was washed away. I have my NRC, and no one here is a doubtful citizen."
The displaced residents had relocated to the village after being forced to leave an earlier settlement near a Ganesh temple. According to Shahjahan, many of the villagers had worked in Karnataka to save money and purchase the small plots where they built their homes.
Shahjahan also expressed deep concern over the whereabouts of his 18-year-old son, Tafiz Ali, who was shot near a railway line while returning home. "I don’t know where my son is," he said.
The injured were taken to Sonapur Civil Hospital and Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). Activists claim that as of the time of reporting, relatives of the wounded were not allowed to visit them due to heavy police deployment around the emergency ward at GMCH.
Efforts to contact officials from the Kamrup Metro district administration and Assam Police for a statement were unsuccessful, Maktoob added in their report.
50 people including DCP, Circle Officer, Police OC of Sonapur Thana grievously injured on attack of Miya Muslim, while they went to evict illegal encroachment in Kosutoli of Sonapur in Assam. Today was the 4th day of eviction. See the video how scary, thousands of Bangladeshi… pic.twitter.com/O80Ss7tBvL
— Oxomiya Jiyori 🇮🇳 (@SouleFacts) September 12, 2024
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Minister Parameshwara says remarks on properties linked to drug peddlers 'misunderstood'
Tumakuru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Saturday said his recent remarks on the demolition of properties linked to those involved in narcotics trade were "misunderstood and misinterpreted".
His clarification follows remarks made two days ago on the government's uncompromising crackdown on the drug menace, including action against properties linked to foreign nationals allegedly involved in drug trafficking.
"It is unfortunate. It is taken in the wrong sense. I didn't mean that tomorrow itself I am going to send bulldozers and demolish the houses. That was not my intention. It was wrongly taken," he told reporters here.
Responding to Congress MLC K Abdul Jabbar's question in the legislative council on the growing drug menace in Bengaluru, Davangere and coastal districts, the minister on Thursday detailed the extensive enforcement measures initiated since the Congress government assumed office.
Pointing to the involvement of some foreign nationals, the minister had said, "Many foreign students from African countries have come to Karnataka. They are into the drug business. We catch them and register cases against them, but they want the case to be registered because once the case is registered, we cannot deport them."
"We have gone to the extent of demolishing the rented building where they stay," he had said.
