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GUWAHATI, JULY 18: At least ten individuals were arrested in relation to the violent confrontation that broke out during an eviction drive in the Paikan Reserve Forest region of Assam’s Goalpara district on Wednesday. They were arrested from various parts of Krishnai, the area under which the forest comes, soon after the incident.
Sources reveal that the arrested personnel are accused of taking an active part in the attack against the joint team of Forest Department and Assam Police officials. Some of them have allegedly been part of stone-pelting, blocking the movement of the team, and pursuing officials with sticks. Some of the accused were said to have been caught on camera at the time. The names of the arrested have yet to be made public officially.
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The violence erupted after a group of residents, who were allegedly settling on the forest land illegally, defied the attempt to evict them. The crowd escalated into violence soon after becoming agitated, and police had to open fire to scatter them. One person, Shakuar Hussain, was shot dead, and another, Kutubuddin Sheikh, was injured during the confrontation.
The operation also injured at least 21 police and forest department personnel.
The land is situated within the 711-hectare Paikan Reserve Forest, more than 140 hectares of which have been illegally occupied for years, according to sources. Authorities added that in spite of repeated pleas and public announcements asking people to leave the land, many families were not cooperating, prompting the eviction drive.
Security has since been increased in the region following the violence. Top officials have been to the scene and are keeping a close eye on the situation to avert further uprisings.
Meanwhile, locals and human rights groups have demanded a transparent and equitable probe into the circumstances that resulted in the police firing. While the administration maintains that the eviction was necessary to safeguard protected forest land, the process and extent of force employed has raised eyebrows among critics.
