Guwahati: After several days of the Dhalpur eviction drive in Darrang District, the Assam Government has informed the Gauhati High Court that the only families who would be rehabilitated are the ones who could prove their citizenship.
The Assam Government has also stated that the government will only rehabilitate the “genuine citizens” without any further compensations terming them as encroachers.
The Government stated this while responding to a PIL that was filed by the Leader of Opposition at the Assam Legislative Assembly, Debabrata Saikia. The government has also stated that an area of 1000 bighas has been earmarked in order to rehabilitate such families.
“An area of about 1,000 bighas (about 134 hectares) of land in the southern part of No 1 & No 3 Dhalpur village has been earmarked for relocating the evicted persons subject to verification of the status of erosion affected and landless status in their respective original places and districts, citizenship and existing rehabilitation policy of the state,” the Assam government affidavit read.
It may be mentioned that a few days ago, two persons including one minor were killed in a clash that took place between suspected encroachers and policemen in Darrang district. The clash had certain violent and disturbing images which were criticized across the nation.
The images were criticized more as one photographer who was hired by the district administration was seen jumping and “assisting” the police in killing one protestor or suspected encroacher. The person was seen in a video chasing down the armed policemen with a stick. He was shot and beaten by the police and the images turned horrific as the photographer jumped on the corpse of the person.