GUWAHATI, Sept 24: The ruling BJP in Assam has alleged that the violence during the eviction drive at Dhalpur in Assam’s Darrang district on Thursday was “pre-planned and triggered by a third force.”
Speaking to mediapersons on Friday, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that there were only 60 families to be evicted from the area but wondered how about 10,000 people assembled there during the eviction and staged a violent protest, attacking policemen with sharp objects and prompting the latter to resort to firing.
“There could be a third force triggering the violence and I have therefore directed a judicial probe into the incident and the circumstances leading to the violence during the eviction drive would come to the fore,” Sarma said, while ruling out Congress’ demand for suspension of the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police of Darrang district.
The eviction drive, which began on Monday, was temporarily halted on Friday, in view of Thursday’s violence.
A 12-hour Darrang district bandh was called by certain groups representing the minority community, in protest against deaths of civilians in police firing.
The chief minister further said that he had assured the All Assam Minorities Students Union (AAMSU) that land (six bigha each) according to the land policy would be given to the evicted families.
It may be mentioned state government plans to implement its multi-crore ‘Garukhuti Project’ (part of the state budget 2021-22), where the cleared government land (over 70,000 bighas) will be used for afforestation and community farming activities, involving indigenous youths.
About 30,000 bighas of farmland have been identified in the area which has been divided into four zones to carry out the eviction drive.
In the same vein, state BJP president Bhabesh Kalita, addressing reporters at the party headquarters here, claimed that the attack on the police forces by “illegal settlers” was pre-planned, compelling them to fire in self defence.
“The district administration had prior to the eviction drive had a meeting with the residents and leaders of AAMSU and the people had also agreed to cooperate with the eviction. However, a section of miscreants attacked police prompting the latter to first fire teargas shells, resort to blank fire, lathicharge and then fire in self defence,” he said.
Meanwhile, the photographer of Darrang district administration, Bijoy Sankar Bania, who was seen stomping over and punching the apparently lifeless body of a protester multiple times in a viral video, has been arrested and produced before the chief judicial magistrate’s court here.
According to reports, Bania, who has been in CID custody, has been remanded to 14 days’ judicial custody. A case under non-bailable sections has been registered against him, reports said.
At least two civilians lost their lives and several others, including police personnel, were injured in the incident.
One critically-injured policeman and a civilian are currently undergoing treatment at Guwahati Medical College and Hospital.
They are among the three police personnel and eight civilians admitted to GMCH.