GUWAHATI, Sep 13: Assam DGP Gyanendra Pratap Singh on Friday said Guwahati Police would investigate whether there was a conspiracy behind the attack on government officials during the eviction drive at Kochutoli village under the Sonapur revenue circle on the outskirts of the city in Kamrup Metro district on Thursday.
“Guwahati Police has been directed to identify all the miscreants involved in the attack on government officials and take lawful action. Due statutory processes are being followed regarding use of force by police. Proper treatment is being provided to the Government officials and others injured today,” Singh said.
Twenty-two police personnel and administrative officials engaged in the eviction drive were injured as people “abruptly” attacked them at the site while several police vehicles were also damaged. The violence prompted people to open fire and in the process, two out of 13 civilians injured succumbed to their injuries and died.
“Conspiracy behind the attack on government officials has taken place on the fourth day of the eviction process and would also be investigated by Guwahati Police. All instigators and conspirators behind such attack would be brought to book in due course,” the DGO stated in social media.
Speaking to mediapersons while visiting the site of the eviction site on Friday, the DGP said the eviction drive was prompted by attempts by unknown people to construct houses on the land defined as tribal land as demarcated in 1950 as per the Assam Land Regulations of 1886.
“We had received information that some construction activity was going on there. In the past two months or so, some people from Bangladesh were making bids to illegally enter Assam. Thereafter, as per the instructions of the chief minister, most of them have been pushed back,” Singh said.
“Now, this land (which falls under Sonapur tribal belt) is defined as tribal land as demarcated in 1950 as per the Assam Land Regulations of 1886. Only a protected class of people can live in this area. The DC had also given instructions that people living in the protected tribal land (Sonapur tribal belt) have to be evicted as per law. After public notifications for a week, on September 9, an eviction drive was started as per rules by the DC under the protection of the Guwahati City Police. Till Thursday, 248 bighas of tribal land has been cleared from encroachment with close to 300 illegally-constructed structures removed from the tribal belt area.,” the DGP said.
“Yesterday, all of a sudden, some people started attacking police personnel and government officials engaged in the eviction process. They were attacked with stones, spears and bamboo prompting police to use force as a preventive measure. In the process, 22 police and officers were injured. Some civilians were also injured, two of whom succumbed to their injuries,” he said.
The DGP further said that a case has been registered and people have been picked up and detained.
He complimented the police personnel and other government officials at the eviction site for holding their ground against the odds and countering the “targeted attack.”