Police opened fire on residents resisting forced eviction from their decades-old homes and hearths in Paikan Reserve Forest in Assam’s Goalpara district. The police action resulted in the death of two Muslims, Shakur Hussain and Qutbuddin Sheikh. Besides, dozens of people were injured as the eviction drive, which began on Saturday, turned violent. The eviction exercise was jointly undertaken by the Assam Police and officials of the Forest Department.

Violence occurred during their attempt to remove settlers, primarily Bengali-speaking Muslims. The eviction team meant to clear more than 140 hectares of land reportedly encroached upon in the Paikan Reserve Forest, part of the Krishnai Forest range. Areas like Bidyapara and Betbari, where many families have lived for years, were the primary focus of the operation.

The state administration has yet to issue an official statement on the overall toll or whether any arrests have been made. The Paikan Reserve Forest eviction follows the demolition of homes belonging to 690 families in Hasilabeel, a wetland near Goalpara town, on Wednesday. The violence comes as Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday declared that the crackdown will continue, reinforcing the government’s hardline stance on the protesters.

Earlier, the Congress party condemned the eviction, sayin it was a targeted attack on Bengali-speaking Muslims. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge criticised the demolition of 2,000 homes in Dhubri and Goalpara, calling it a “state-sponsored pogrom” and a violation of constitutional rights under Article 21 (right to life and personal liberty).

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)