GUWAHATI, Sept 21: A single bench of Tarun Phookan, Hon’ble Member, Assam Human Rights Commission (AHRC), has taken suo moto cognizance of the death of two persons and injuries caused to others during the eviction operation carried out on Monday last in three villages adjacent to the Kaziranga tiol Park (KNP), stated an AHRC release.
In its order dated 20 September, 2016 in AHRC case no. 1801/14/16-17, the bench issued directives to issue notice to the Assam Chief Secretary to cause an inclusive enquiry to be conducted into the circumstances that led to the death of two persons and the injuries caused to the others during the eviction operation in question, through a public servant of the Government of Assam not below the rank of that of a Commissioner & Secretary and submit the report thereof within 30 days of receipt of the notice.
The case was taken in view of the news published in several english as well as vercular daily newspapers on Tuesday reporting about the Government eviction admittedly pursuant to the relevant order of the Gauhati High Court passed in some PILs on October 9 last year, and the resultant death of two persons with injuries caused to some others besides some security personnel due to the ensuing retaliatory activities of the involving parties, i.e., the executing police force and the people protesting the eviction, being in conflict and clash to each other during the eviction exercise that witnessed violent activities reportedly unleashed by the irate inhabitants of those villages in protest against the eviction drive of the state Government, since completed, in those villages of Bandardubi, Deosurchang and Palkhowa under Koliabor Sub-Division in gaon District.
Reportedly, persuasion failed to dissuade the villagers protesting against the eviction move which prompted the security personnel to declare them illegal before the blocked road was cleared by the team to be retaliated by the mob hurling stones on them whereupon the security personnel reportedly resorted to lathi-charge and bursting of tear gas shells and firing of rubber bullets on the protestors in the process of which said causalities and the injuries were caused, further stated the release.
A One-Man-Commission had already been appointed by the Assam Government reportedly to probe the circumstances leading to the police firing besides announcing compensation of Rs.2 lakhs to each of the families of the deceased and Rs.50,000 to each of the other victim families.
The release further mentioned that the eviction drive had oriented from a year-old direction of the High Court with reported service of relevant notices upon the evictable people in the alleged encroachment of land belonging to KNP being preceded for the purpose. But the killing of one Anjuma Khatun and one Fakaruddin with injuries caused to some protestors reportedly due to the firings from the police guns and the charging of the police batons while carrying out the entire eviction operation consisting of demolition of hundreds of houses and destruction of household articles belonging to the ejected people including reportedly some Government-settlers, has been deplorable which persuaded this State Commission to take cognizance of the same, mentioned the release.