A police eviction drive in Sonapur on the outskirts of Guwahati, Assam, turned violent on Thursday, resulting in the killing of two Muslim teenagers, Jubhair Ali, 18, and Haidar Ali, 19.
The incident occurred during an ongoing eviction drive aimed at clearing alleged encroachment on government land. Despite the operation having been carried out for several days without major conflict, it turned violent, resulting in the deaths of the two teenagers.
The eviction process started on Monday, September 9, aimed at clearing “illegal settlements” on a 100-bigha plot of land. Initial attempts were carried out peacefully, but tensions escalated on Thursday, September 11, when residents, primarily from the Muslim community, blocked access to prevent the demolition of their makeshift homes. This led to violence and resulted in the deaths of the two Muslim teenagers.
As bulldozers began demolishing houses and food grains near a village lane, the residents reportedly attacked the police. In response to the escalating violence, some police officers opened fire on the agitated crowd, leading to the killing of two persons who were confirmed dead at the Sonapur District Hospital.
Shahjahan, whose son has been hit by a bullet told Maktoob Media, that at least 17-18 dwellers were wounded in the police firing.
“Where will we go? Our land and home were washed away earlier. Since then, we somehow bought small plots here. Now they see us as illegals. Nobody is illegal here,” Shahjahan was quoted by Maktoob Media.
Activists alleged that the relatives of the injured persons were not allowed to meet the victims of police firing as heavy police force had been deployed near the emergency ward of GMCH.
Assam’s director general of police, Gyanendra Pratap Singh, reported that approximately 22 police personnel and several administrative officials were injured during the clashes with the residents.
The Assam government has stated that it will investigate the incident and take appropriate action against those involved in the violence
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