Amidst the chaos, a man emerged from behind the bushes with a stick, chasing away police and a photographer, in a video widely circulated on Thursday evening from Sipajhar, Darrang in Assam. Police fired at him and charged him to thrash.
Following the brutality, a photographer hired by the administration, Bijoy Banya, trample on the fallen man.
The heinous act was triggered a huge outcry on social media.
At least three people were feared dead in Assam on Thursday as the police opened fire on protestors in the Sipajhar area of Darrang district, according to local sources.
However, Police claimed that only two civilians and nine policemen were injured in the incident.
When asked about the footage of the local being shot and then beaten, Superintendent of Police Sushanta Biswa Sarma said “The area is big. I was on another side. I will find out and assess the situation.”
According to Scroll, the administration served an eviction notice to residents of Kirakota Char, triggering protest on Thursday morning. After this, the administration reportedly promised that the villagers will be rehabilitated before the eviction.
But once activists left the area, the police opened fire on the protestors, a local activist told Maktoob.
Maktoob couldn’t independently verify the condition of the victim in the video.
“There are confusion and chaos. Police are refusing to share information,” Sahidul Islam, an Assam-based activist told Maktoob.
Several visuals from Sipajhar suggest police were firing indiscriminately at the protesters in an open field. Children and women are among the protesters.
The state government led by Bharatiya Janata Party plans to hand over the land to “indigenous youth” for farming.
“Terror Force of fascist, communal & bigoted Govt. shooting at its own citizens,” AIUDF Member of Legislative, Ashraful Hussain wrote on Twitter.
On 20 September, over 800 households, belonging to 4500 people were razed down amidst heavy rain. Opposition parties have criticized the BJP government for moving ahead with eviction drives, despite a court order.
Most of those displaced in the process were also Muslims of Bengali origin, who are discriminated against for their ethnicity.
