In a violent eviction drive, two civilians were killed and 18 policemen injured in firing near Kaziranga National Park in Assam. According to Nagaon’s Superintendent of Police, Devraj Upadhyay, locals clashed with police over the eviction drive.
Section 144 has been imposed in the area to control the violence.
A division bench at the Gauhati High Court comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy and Paran Kumar Phukan refused to interfere in the eviction drive after hearing a writ petition filed by one Md Jalal Uddin and three other residents of Bandardubi village of Nagaon District against the ongoing eviction drive in the national park.
The petitioners sought relief to protect their stay at Bandardubi village until compensation is received by the occupiers.
The petitioners’ contention was they were facing eviction from the park and sought a direction for payment of compensation for their dislocation and protection of their stay at Bandardubi village until compensation was received.
Although the court refused to interfere, after hearing the case, it held that the status of the occupiers of Bandardubi and Deusur Chang villages was illegal.
The application filed by the villagers currently living Bandardubi and Deusur Chang villages was dismissed as the bench had earlier noted that public interest requires clearance of the national park from all encroachers.
The petition against their occupancy had also referred to the minutes of a meeting of the Assam government on 5 September.
In that meeting, the Assam government had projected that while eviction was carried out based on the order court order, dated 9 October 2015, disbursal of compensation for the evicted was not ruled out.
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