Two civilians were killed and nine policemen injured on Thursday when an anti-encroachment drive in Assam’s Darrang district blew up into a brutal clash between the police and people protesting eviction. On camera, policemen in riot gear and armed with guns and sticks chased and attacked protesters and even firing shots.
In horrifying visuals, a government cameraman filming the clash attacked a protester who had earlier followed him with a stick. The protester, beaten by policemen, lay motionless as the cameraman kept attacking him until he was restrained. The police have arrested the cameraman. An order issued by the Home and Political Department’s Secretary Debaparasad Misra said the government has decided the inquiry will be conducted by a retired judge of the Gauhati High Court.
The incident drew condemnation, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi calling the police action “state-sponsored fire”. The public protest had erupted over the demand for rehabilitation of nearly 800 families evicted from the land they were living on for decades.
Darrang Superintendent of Police Sushanta Biswa Sarma, a younger brother of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, claimed the protesters, armed with sharp weapons, pelted the police personnel and others present with stones.
Police initially fired in air to disperse the protesters but failed, forcing the men in uniform to fire at people, killing two and injuring at least ten others. Around 10 more, including policemen, were also injured in clashes. Meanwhile, a purported video of the incident has gone viral on social media where a photographer is seen kicking a person, presumably dead.
