AIUDF MLA Rafiqul Islam Criticizes Assam Government’s Eviction Drive
Guwahati (Assam) [India], September 25: The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) has criticized the BJP-led Assam government for its ongoing eviction drive against illegal encroachers. AIUDF MLA Rafiqul Islam claimed that the government has targeted revenue villages and Myadi land patta holders, violating a High Court order.
Eviction Drive Details
Rafiqul Islam mentioned that the recent eviction drives in Goalpara district and Sonapur Kachutali area in Kamrup (Metro) district were against the High Court’s directive. He stated, “Bandarmatha in Goalpara district is a revenue village. But the government evicted several families from this village. Apart from this, the government also evicted Myadi land patta holder families at Sonapur Kachutali area, which is a tribal belt and block area.”
Islam added that his party might move to court if necessary. On September 24, nearly 450 families who had illegally settled in the Bandarmatha Forest area were evicted by the Goalpara district administration.
Government’s Justification
A senior official from Goalpara district explained that Bandarmatha is a forest area, and encroachment had led to increased human-elephant conflicts. “After the eviction drive, it will bring down the Human-Elephant Conflict to a great extent,” the official said.
Violence During Eviction
During the eviction drive in Sonapur Kachutali area, violence erupted, resulting in the deaths of two people and injuries to seven others due to police firing. Additionally, 22 police personnel and one Revenue Circle Officer were injured when a mob of around 1000 people attacked the on-duty police personnel and government officials.
Doubts Revealed
AIUDF -: AIUDF stands for All India United Democratic Front. It is a political party in India, mainly active in the state of Assam.
MLA -: MLA stands for Member of Legislative Assembly. It is a person elected by the people to represent them in the state government.
BJP -: BJP stands for Bharatiya Janata Party. It is one of the major political parties in India.
Eviction Drive -: An eviction drive is when the government removes people from land or property they are living on illegally.
High Court -: The High Court is a type of court in India that deals with important legal cases. It is one level below the Supreme Court.
Goalpara -: Goalpara is a district in the state of Assam, India.
Sonapur Kachutali -: Sonapur Kachutali is an area in Assam, India.
Human-elephant conflicts -: Human-elephant conflicts happen when elephants and people come into contact and cause problems for each other, like damaging crops or property.