A CORRESPONDENT
AZARA: Strong reactions have emerged following the alleged assault on police personnel, administrative officials and a village head during an eviction notice drive at Islampur in Bongara under Azara Police Station. The area was recently included in the Jalukbari Legislative Assembly Constituency after the reorganization of constituencies.
According to reports, the incident took place on February 27 when police, along with officials of the district administration and the village head, visited the area to serve eviction notices to persons allegedly encroaching upon tribal belt land. A group of suspected encroachers allegedly attacked the officials, leaving several injured and triggering widespread concern.
Police have so far detained 21 individuals, including women and juveniles, in connection with the assault. They were later produced before a court, which remanded them to judicial custody.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed serious concern over the attack on police personnel and government representatives, including village head Mukut Sharma, and directed the authorities to arrest all those involved in the incident.
Following the incident, indigenous Muslim residents of the area also came forward, acknowledging that settlements had gradually developed on tribal belt land alongside the presence of suspected outsiders. Residents claimed that the newly developed settlement at Islampur had expanded rapidly over the past few years, with agricultural land being converted into habitation by hundreds of families under unclear circumstances.
Local inhabitants alleged the involvement of several middlemen who reportedly facilitated illegal land transactions by selling plots on government land to suspected settlers in exchange for money. Indigenous residents have demanded the arrest of those allegedly involved in such activities and called for a thorough investigation.
They further urged the government to carry out an eviction drive in areas identified as heavily encroached, particularly against 52 families reportedly marked as suspected settlers by local residents. At the same time, community representatives stressed that indigenous Muslims should not face harassment in the name of action against suspected encroachers.
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