Two killed as police open fire after villagers ’attack’ cops with sharp weapons during eviction drive in Assam

In Kamrup (Metropolitan) district of Assam, two people were killed in a police firing on Thursday when the security personnel were trying to disperse a mob that attacked them during an eviction drive on Thursday.

An official said that a team from Sonapur circle office and the police went to Kochutoli village in the district to evict Bengali-speaking Muslim villagers who had previously been removed from the encroached land but had again returned.

Several officials and security personnel were also reportedly wounded in the mob attack.

The villagers, including women, attacked the officials and policemen with sharp weapons, sticks and stones, resulting in injuries to a magistrate and over 20 police personnel, the official said.

A police vehicle was also damaged in the incident, the official added.

“In the last two days we conducted an eviction drive at that area against the illegal encroachers, but the entire drive was conducted peacefully. Today we had gone to that area to conduct assessment. But around 1500 people gheraoed us from two sides and started pelting stones. The mob was equipped with bamboo sticks, sharp weapons also. Several vehicles were damaged in this incident. Several police personnel and I also injured,” Nitul Khataniar, Circle Officer of Sonapur Revenue Circle told ANI.

Among the injured are Sonapur Circle Officer Nitul Khataniar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Mrinal Deka and Sonapur police station officer-in-charge, Hirak Jyoti Saikia.

To disperse the mob the police had to open fire. Two encroachers were injured in the firing and were taken to Sonapur district hospital where they succumbed to injuries, said the official.

The deceased were identified as Jubahir Ali and Haider Ali.

To maintain the law and order situation in the Kochutoli village, additional security forces have been deployed in the area with senior civil and police officials having rushed to the spot.

The situation has been brought under control but simmering tension prevailed in the entire area, the official added.