Assam News: One Dead, Several Injured As Settlers Clash With Police During Eviction Drive In Goalpara

(MENAFN- Live Mint) At least one person was killed and several others were injured in a clash between evicted persons and security personnel in Assam, officials said on Thursday.

The clash broke out during an eviction drive in Paikan reserve forest in Assam's Goalpara district on Thursday between settlers and police personnel, PTI reported.

An official said forest guards and police personnel were attacked with sticks by alleged encroachers when they went to cordon off a part of the Paikan reserve forest. An eviction drive was carried out in the area on Saturday.

Officials also alleged that the evicted people pelted stones at them, injuring many police personnel.

Many police personnel injured

Akhilesh Kumar Singh, IGP (L&O) of Assam police , told ANI over the phone that several police personnel were injured, including two seriously injured, following an attack by some miscreants.

“During routine patrolling jointly by police and the forest department at Paikan area in Goalpara district, some miscreants attacked the security personnel by pelting stones. Several police personnel, including two, were seriously injured in this attack. In retaliate action by security personnel few miscreants also injured. The situation is still tense and additional forces have been deployed,” he said.

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The forest deparment is digging a channel to prevent future encroachment in the reserved forest.

“The forest department wanted to dig a channel to ensure that no attempt is made for future encroachment. It was carried out peacefully yesterday. But when the team reached this morning, people in the area attacked them with stones and sticks,” an official was quoted as saying by PTI.

One settler killed, two injured

In a retaliatory action, the police had to fire to control the situation, in which one person was killed and two others were injured , he said.

According to initial reports, the persons evicted during the Saturday drive were among the attackers.

Earlier, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday informed that a total of 1,19,548 bighas of land have been freed from encroachers in the ongoing eviction drive in the state.

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The Assam CM said,“After we formed the government, so far 84,743 bighas of land in forest and national park areas have been freed from encroachers. A total of 1,19,548 bighas of land have been freed from encroachers.”

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