2 Killed, Several Injured In Police Firing During Eviction Drive In Assam’s Sonapur

Guwahati: Two people died and several got injured when police opened fire to disperse a violent mob that attacked police and government officials during an eviction drive at Kochutoli village in Sonapur, Assam, late Thursday.

Sonapur is a small town located about 20 km from Guwahati city in Assam’s Kamrup Metropolitan district.

In a post on X, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma alleged that Bangladeshi Rohingyas attacked Assam Police personnel when they reached the Kosutoli area to remove encroachment from Notified Tribal land.

“50 people including DCP, Circle Officer, Police OC of Sonapur police station were seriously injured in the attack. 2 Rohingya/Bangladeshi squatters killed and 14 injured in police retaliation,” he added.

Two individuals named Jubahir Ali and Haidar Ali succumbed to injuries received in police firing, a news agency report said.

The violent mob attacked the demolition team, in which two police vehicles were damaged. The police said the eviction drive passed off peacefully from Monday to Wednesday. But on Thursday, the villagers violently confronted the eviction team consisting of government officials and the police.

The rail traffic on the Digaru-Tetelia section of the Lumding division was disrupted for two hours as around 300-400 people gathered on the railway track to protest the eviction.

“The track has been cleared by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and state police, and normal train service has resumed. Three trains underwent detention. There were no attempts by the protestors to carry out any sabotage of railway property,” the NFR said in a statement.

Addressing the media persons at the state BJP headquarters in Guwahati, Sarma said, “The eviction drive happened peacefully. When the Congress started opposing the eviction drive in the morning, the situation became worse and a large number of people with lathis and bamboo sticks attacked the police and government officials team who went to the area today. 22 police personnel and a Revenue Circle officer were injured. Police also resorted to firing shots and two people died and seven others are injured…”