The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee has strongly condemned the “most barbaric act of police firing and inhuman act” on the protesters of Dholpur area in Sipajhar during the eviction drive by the state government against alleged encroachers. Two people reportedly lost their lives and several were injured in police firing. Several police personnel also suffered injuries in the clashes. A shocking video also surfaced on social media, purportedly showing a dead or dying man with a bullet wound to his chest, but still being hit by a man hitting a camera.
The Assam government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident of violence. The chief minister’s younger brother and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma’s area superintendent of police Sushant Biswa Sarma said the protesters were armed with sharp weapons and pelted stones at police personnel and others. He said police initially opened fire in the air to disperse the demonstrators, but were unsuccessful, forcing the men in uniform to fire, killing two and injuring at least ten others. Many policemen also suffered injuries, he said.
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The Congress said that just as a protester was believed to be a man in his early 30s, Moinul Haque was brutally killed on camera by police personnel and later violence was unleashed on the deceased by police cameraman Bijoy Shankar Bania. was, which was later captured. The presence of the police is frightening. The party said that the lone protester, who was waving a stick, could have easily been tamed by the more than 40 police personnel present there. “Shooting a lone distraught protester who is losing his home and home is brutally inhumane. APCC chief Bhupen Kumar Bora said, “The police should have tried to pacify him instead of hitting him at point-blank range.”
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has made a scathing attack on the state government regarding this incident on Thursday. “Assam is on state-sponsored fire. I stand with my brothers and sisters in the state – no child in India deserves this.”
A Congress delegation led by Bora on Friday met Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi, urging him to halt the eviction drive at Sipajhar in Darrang till a proper rehabilitation package is announced.
It is also pertinent to mention that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a full bench of the Gauhati High Court, headed by the Chief Justice, had in May ordered that any order of eviction, eviction or demolition should remain in abeyance, the party said. But, despite this, the BJP government is behaving in an autocratic manner to evict the residents of Dholpur without any rehabilitation plan.
“The extremely inhuman incident in Dholpur is undemocratic, unconstitutional and a clear case of state sponsored fire on people living in the four areas. This incident is a gross violation of the right to equality.”
The Congress has made the following demands:
1. The judicial inquiry into the incident should be under a sitting judge of the High Court.
2. Immediate moratorium on evictions until a suitable rehabilitation plan is made public.
3. Immediate suspension of Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police.
4. The cameramen and police personnel who were deployed and participated in the whole barbaric act should also be given exemplary punishment. Also, proper compensation should be given to the dead and injured.
5. An all party meeting with the stakeholders should be convened immediately to strategize and plan the rehabilitation and compensation program of the people of Dholpur.
6. Congress party feels that CM Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, while holding a constitutional post, despite taking oath to serve and protect all citizens, has continuously behaved in a partisan manner by making provocative statements which has made matters worse. His statement of giving full powers to the police to carry out encounter firing had also given license to kill and there was a danger of turning Assam into a police state. Dr. Sarma as Chief Minister should look to his words and orders in future to maintain peace in the police force and peace in the state of Assam. Extremely provocative statements of CM’s political secretary should also be brought under judicial scrutiny.
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Here are some political reactions to the incident:
Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal
“You have seen what they did in Assam yesterday… what happened to human rights there? What happened in a Delhi court today (referring to the firing in Rohini court in which a dreaded gangster was killed)? What is the law and order situation in your areas and you are pointing fingers at our state?”
Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, religious and political organization
We are shocked by such an incident and hope that the government will understand the pain of the people.
Himanta Biswa Sharma, Chief Minister of Assam
“The evictions will continue. How can you or I settle on government land? People from neighboring areas who have land in their villages have come and settled here. This cannot be allowed. Those who are landless and poor will get land according to the land policy, that is, 6 bighas of land. That’s what I’ve been saying for the last two months.”
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