2 Killed in Police Firing, Over 20 Cops & Injured as Eviction Drive Turns Violent in Assam

Guwahati: Two persons died in police firing as an eviction drive turned violent at Kochutoli village under the Sonapur revenue circle in the outskirts of Guwahati in Assam on late Thursday.

Two persons identified as Jubahir Ali and Haidar Ali succumbed to injuries after being shot at by the police.

Over 20 others including a magistrate and police personnel were injured in this violent incident. The angry mob damaged two police vehicles.  were also damaged in the incident. Additional security personnel were deployed and the situation remained tense.

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said rail traffic on the Digaru-Tetelia section of Lumding division was disrupted for two hours when evicted people blocked the railway track.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) and state police cleared the track for the resumption of normal train service

The eviction drive led to clashes between the police and the residents when the police attempted to remove “unlawful” colonies on a 100-bigha tract of land that housed about 150 people.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma alleged that the Congress escalated tension during the eviction drive which was peaceful until Congress leaders went there and intervened in the eviction drive.

“The locals then attacked police personnel with lathis and bamboo sticks. In clashes, two people unfortunately got killed while 22 policemen along with a revenue circle officer were injured,” the Assam CM said.