OUR CORRESPONDENT
MANGALDAI: "The encroachers who illegally occupying the government land at Dhalpur area in Darrang district in the first eviction drive carried out on September 20 did not offer any resistance. But in the second eviction drive on September 23, certain anti-social elements coming from faraway places provoked and instigated the people of the locality with a pre-planned evil design to create an untoward situation which resulted in the attack on the police team on duty. The government has taken up the process to identify and detect the evil forces involved in it," said Sootea legislator and chairman of 'Project Gorukhuti', Padma Hazarika while talking to The Sentinel on Friday afternoon.
Strongly criticizing the protest rally of Congress on Friday at Mangaldai, he asked the Congress to explain their silence on the killing of indigenous farmers by a group of encroachers at Kuruwa three years back. He also reaffirmed the government's firm stand to continue the eviction drive if and when necessary and also to continue the agriculture farming under 'Project Gorukhuti'.
Significantly, the AAMSU and several organization sponsored Darrang bandh on Friday failed to evoke total response, except in the minority-dominated areas.
Inspector General of Police (Law & Order) and Deputy Inspector General of Police of Central Western Range Brajenjit Singha are supervising the situation in the Dhalpur area.
The post-mortem examination of the two persons killed in the retaliating police firing at Dhalpur on Thursday, was performed at Mangaldai Civil Hospital on Friday afternoon. Family members of both the deceased, namely Sheikh Farid and Saddam, will be handed over both the bodies after the post mortem to perform the last rites.
Significantly, on Friday a team of Congress legislators led by Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhupen Bora staged a dharna in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office as a mark of protest against the eviction and killing of two persons in police firing at Dhalpur on Thursday. APCC president Bhupen Bora became too emotional and tore off his shirt in public.
On Thursday evening, DGP of Assam Police, Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta visited the Dhalpur area and took stock of the situation. Special DGP GP Singh is likely to visit Dhalpur area on Saturday.
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