Sonapur violence: Assam CM points finger at Congress for inciting residents

Guwahati, Sept 13: A political tussle has ensued between the ruling party BJP and opposition party Congress over the recent violent clash that erupted between police and residents of Sonapur’s Kosutoli on Thursday.

During a press conference, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma blamed the Congress party over the tragic unrest, stating that the clash erupted after the opposition party criticised the eviction drive.

“Sonapur is a Tribal Belt and Block area and the eviction drive in that area was going on peacefully. The people who have been evicted went to their native land in Darrang and Morigaon districts. However, after Congress started opposing the drive, a section of people became agitated, which led to the clash,” stated the chief minister.

Refuting all the claims, while speaking to The Assam tribune, Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress Committee President Mira Borthakur stated that the home department is under the portfolio of Himanta Biswa Sarma and he can’t even control such a small issue. The government has no right to violate human rights.

According to the Supreme Court guideline, if a person is to be evicted from encroached government land, he must be given a notice one month prior, and another guideline is that even if the person is at fault, that person’s property couldn’t be damaged by the government. So here Sarma violated both the guidelines,” Mira added.

It may be mentioned that during the clash two lost their lives. The deceased have been identified as Haider Ali and Juwahid Ali, who reportedly succumbed to injuries from police firing at Sonapur District Hospital.

Several people were injured in the clash, including Shahjahan Ali, who sustained bullet injuries to his leg, as well as Revenue Circle Officer Nitul Khatoniar and four police officers, including a female constable.

All injured individuals were transported to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for treatment, and currently, 11 people are hospitalised in GMCH.

The clash broke out when police, along with district administration officials, attempted to evict alleged illegal settlers from a 100-bigha plot of land in the area, home to approximately 150 people.

Although the eviction had been proceeding without incident over the previous days, tensions escalated on Thursday.

The situation turned violent when residents attacked police personnel with sticks and sharp objects. There have been reports of residents pelting stones at police vehicles, causing further injuries among the personnel.

In response, the police resorted to blank firing to control the situation, which allegedly led to the deaths.