Locals clash with police during anti-encroachment drive in Patna, SP injured

Police said that a clash ensued when 17 JCB machines reached Nepali colony at around 7 am to demolish 90 illegal houses.

PATNA: Five policemen, including the city superintendent of police (central), suffered injuries in a clash with residents of Nepali Colony at Rajiv Nagar area in Patna during an anti-encroachment drive on Sunday, police said.

Residents clash with police personnel during an anti-encroachment drive at Nepali Nagar in Patna on Sunday. (Santosh Kumar/HT Photo)

According to police, a dozen people were arrested for indulging in violence.

Police said that a clash ensued when 17 JCB machines reached Nepali colony at around 7 am to demolish 90 illegal houses.

“As the bulldozer came into action, locals pelted stones at the police, which turned into a clash. The police also used teargas shells and resorted to lathicharge to disperse the protestors,” police said.

According to the police, one and half months ago, a notice was issued to remove almost 90 illegal houses in Rajiv Nagar.

Even after issuing notice, people living in the area protested by blocking roads, the police informed.

Claiming that locals also threw kerosene on the policemen, police said, “A large number of people stood firm with bricks and stones in their hands. Five policemen, including City SP Ambrish Rahul, received injuries. Three locals were also injured during lathicharge,” he added.

Patna district magistrate (DM) Chandrashekhar Singh and Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) M S Dhillon rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.

The DM said that some anti-social elements along with trouble mongers joined the protestors and pelted stones when the illegal construction was being demolished. “About 12 anti-social elements have been arrested and others are being identified through CCTV footage. I have directed to lodge an FIR (first information report) against anti-social elements. I have also made an appeal to locals to maintain the peace,” the DM said.

Questioning the encroachment drive, locals said why would their houses be demolished in the name of encroachment when they have paid tax to the municipal corporation for the houses and even got electricity connection and other facilities.

About two thousand police personnel, including BMP and BSAP, have been deployed in the areas to maintain law and order, police said.

The Dispute:

In 1974, Bihar State Housing Board (BSHB) decided to acquire 1,024.52 acres of land in the present Rajiv Nagar in Patna for the proposed Digha Housing Colony. As per the prevalent law, farmers were entitled to compensation of ₹2,200 per katha (1,360 square feet). However, farmers started protesting the acquisition, as many of them were not paid their due compensation.

As the award of compensation lingered, the matter went to the Supreme Court, which had in 1983 ordered the DM to pay adequate compensation to the farmers. Accordingly, the BSHB deposited ₹17.42 crore in the account of the Patna DM for the acquisition of land. Affected farmers claim that many of the legitimate owners of the disputed land have not received a penny as compensation.

“The SC had asked the DM to deposit the amount in the account of the farmers, who were not accepting the compensation. But, the DM office did not do that and many like us were denied compensation. The act of the district administration made the farmers sell the land despite a ban on the registry by the Bihar government,” said Akhilesh Kumar, who is going to lose around two bigha of land due to the BSHB’s acquisition.

A senior officer of the BSHB said that of the 1,024.52 acres of land that was to be developed by the BSHB, around 600 acres located on the eastern side of Ashiana Digha road were sold by the owners to other parties, making it difficult for the board to execute the project. Unable to resolve the dispute, the Bihar government enacted a law on April 20, 2010, and framed Digha Land Acquisition Settlement Rules and Scheme, 2014, to finalise the compensation. However, the landowners were not convinced and demanded that their land should not be acquired.

In 2013, the landowners again moved the Patna high court citing the Central government’s law that stipulates the acquisition should not be deemed complete if 80% of farmers are not paid the compensation. “The case is still pending for the hearing,” claimed Akhilesh Kumar.

In 2017, the then chief secretary directed the BSHB to build a boundary wall around 400 acres of the disputed land situated on the western side of the road and were less occupied, which invited violent protests by the locals.

As per the settlement rules, the 600 acres of land on the eastern side of Ashiana-Digha Road, on which houses were built are being regularised after the payment of a settlement charge. However, the BSHB is adamant about acquiring 400 acres on the western side of the road for its own projects. The Bihar government has allotted the land to the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for building their offices cum residential houses.