Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said fundamentalism has entered the eviction drive in Kosutoli locality of Sonapur area, and that slogans raised in Bangladesh were used by the protesters.
Sarma alleged that the Congress party incited the people, following which there was violence during the eviction drive on Thursday. Two people were killed and several others were injured in a clash between police and the protesters.
“Congress and other fundamentalist forces instigated the encroachers,” Sarma said. “They attacked the police. The slogan that was being used in Bangladesh; they are using the same slogan here now. After the action of Assam Police, the area has become peaceful again and the eviction work is going on.”
He said, “We are running a special campaign against the encroachers who have illegally occupied the land of the tribals in Sonapur. On Thursday, the Congress held a press conference and expressed sympathy for the intruders, after which the same intruders attacked the police.”
Assam Director General of Police GP Singh visited the site on Friday. He said the area is tribal land and is protected by a law of 1886. “The people staying there did not belong to the protected class of people. There was a direction from the government to act,” said Singh. “There were announcements for seven days that those people residing here are illegally residing.”
He said eviction started on September 9. “It was going on smoothly. However, on September 12, a section targeted the police. I have directed the officers to register a case as there is conspiracy and instigation involved in the four-day-old drive that suddenly became violent,” Singh said. In a post on X, Singh said 248 bighas of government land has been cleared of encroachment.
