Protests erupt after two die in Kaziranga eviction drive

GUWAHATI: Two people, including a woman, died in police firing during a drive to evict illegal settlers, many alleged Bangladeshis, near the 430 sq km Kaziranga

GUWAHATI: Two people, including a woman, died in police firing during a drive to evict illegal settlers, many alleged Bangladeshis, near the 430 sq km Kaziranga National Park (KNP) on Monday morning.

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The All Assam Minority Students’ Union (AAMSU) termed the eviction drive inhuman and called for highway blockades across the state in protest.

Last October, the Gauhati high had court ordered eviction in three villages — Bandardubi, Deosursang and Palkhowa — near KNP. The area, about 200km east of Guwahati, falls in Nagaon district.

The eviction was scheduled for Wednesday but Nagaon district authorities advanced it, reportedly to prevent the settlers’ resistance from building up. District officials said more than 1,000 security personnel were sent to the villages to help in the drive. While a few Assamese families had shifted ahead of it, others tried to prevent the eviction team from entering the area.

The officials evicted a total of 198 families. Of these, seven were Hindu families while the rest were Muslims. Two people, identified as Anjuma Khatun,16, and Fakhruddin, 30, died in the melee that ensued. At least 10 others were injured.

Of the 191 Muslim families that were evicted, 40 have relatives elsewhere.