Assam Eviction Site Firing: Here's What Happened In Dhalpur That Left Two Dead, Many Hurt

The Assam Government has ordered a judicial probe into the firing incident that took place in Dhalpur of Darrang district on Thursday, which resulted in the death of two civilians.

As per the official notification, the inquiry would be conducted under the chairmanship of a retired Judge of Gauhati High Court.

"The Government in the Home and Political Departments have decided to institute an inquiry into the circumstances leading to the death of two civilians and injury of several others including police personnel in the firing incident that took place at Dhalpur area in Sipajhar Revenue Circle, under Darrang District on September 23, 2021," it stated.

The violence broke out on Thursday during an anti-encroachment drive in Dhalpur.

What happened?

Superintendent of Police (SP), Darrang Sushanta Biswa Sarma, who is also the brother of state Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that protesters pelted stones and attacked police personnel with sharp weapons.

He further said that nine policemen were injured in the incident.

"Nine policemen were injured, I'm inquiring about the video that's doing rounds on social media," the SP said.

The protest had erupted over the demand for rehabilitation of nearly 800 families evicted from the land they were living on for decades.

Visuals of the violence began circulating on social media on Thursday afternoon, sending shockwaves across the country.

Shocking videos

In the videos posted online, policemen can be seen firing at unseen targets from behind the trees, and a man in vest and lungi running on a dusty street. A photographer ran behind him until the time the men in uniform surrounded the man as gunshots rang in the background.

A man was seen lying motionless but was still hit by a man slinging a camera.

The photographer was seen being led out by a policeman but soon returned, jumped over his body, and hit him with something he had picked up lying close by. The man's left arm lifted momentarily, before he lay still, with a red circle of blood from a bullet wound on his chest, and a 'Gomosa', the traditional stole, lying crumpled beside him.

The photographer behind the dastardly act was later identified as Bijay Shankar Baniya, a professional photographer, hired by the district administration to document the situation.

His shocking act was widely condemned and many even called it a crime against humanity.

Following the outrage, Assam Police said that Baniya has been arrested and further investigation is on.

The dead have been identified as Saddam Hussain and Sheikh Forid. At least 20 people including cops have been injured in the clashes.

Police had launched the eviction drive on Monday to clear illegal encroachments in the area.

The Darrang district administration has so far cleared 602.40 hectares of land and evicted 800 families since Monday, and demolished four 'illegally' constructed religious structures at Sipajhar.

In June, the chief minister had directed the district administration to clear the area for the government to start a community farming project there.

However, according to Congress, the Supreme Court had given a directive against the eviction of the residents of Dholpur who have been living in the area since the 1970s during the pandemic.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday that the eviction drive will not be stopped. "The police has been entrusted with the responsibility of clearing the land from encroachers and they will continue to do it till the job is done. Eviction will stop once it is dark and resume again tomorrow," he added.