8 protesters injured during clash over eviction drives in Amchang wildlife sanctuary
Guwahati, Nov 27 (IBNS) : At least eight people, including four women and two journalists, were injured during clash between protesters and security personnel in Guwahati.
The incident occurred while Assam forest department on Monday resumed their eviction drives against 1400 families that have been encroaching upon the Amchang wildlife sanctuary, outskirts of Guwahati.
Facing massive protests, the state forest department on Monday resumed their eviction drives at Batahghuli, Nabajyoti Nagar, Kankan Nagar, Kailash Nagar and Yousuf Nagar inside the wildlife sanctuary.
By deploying around 1500 security and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) led by 20 magistrates, 15 elephants, 7 excavators, the state forest department started the eviction drives against the encroaches from two sides in the wildlife sanctuary.
When, the government forces reached the areas, local people protested against the eviction drive and attempted to halt it.
The situation turned more violent when some protesters pelted stone targeting to security personnel and to control the situation security personnel resorted baton charge and fired tear gas shells.
“During the clash, eight persons including five protesters, a photographer of state forest department and two journalists were injured,” a top police official said.
The injured persons were identified as Malati Das, Alima Khatun, Rashida Ahmed, Reena Doley, Gautam Baishya, Utpal Patgiri (photographer of state forest department) and they were rushed to different hospitals.
Meanwhile, a top official of Kamrup (Metro) district said that, the eviction drive was conducted at five places inside the wildlife sanctuary and evicted around 408 houses, educational institutions, religious infrastructures.
“The eviction drive will continue in next two days to evict all 1400 families, who were illegally encroached land inside the wildlife sanctuary,” the official said.
Earlier, the state forest department had conducted eviction drive in the wildlife sanctuary following court directive in August last.
The Gauhati High Court on August 2 last had directed the state government to clear the encroachers after the court took up a PIL in 2003 over the encroachment inside the 78.64 km radius sanctuary.
(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
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