Assam: People protest against illegal migrant encroachment

Kamrup (Assam) [India], September 14 (ANI): Locals of the Sonapur Kachutali area in Assam’s Kamrup (Metro) district staged a protest on Saturday in support of protecting tribal belt and block areas.

They demanded the eviction of people illegally occupying government land in the area, as well as protection for the indigenous people by the state government.

Locals have alleged that some Congress leaders brought a large number of illegal migrants for vote bank and settled them in government land of Sonapur tribal belt and block areas.

The local Muslim people here are supporting the government’s eviction drive against illegal migrants.

Rahim Baksh, a local youth of the Sonapur Kachutali area, told ANI, “Earlier some Congress leaders brought these illegal migrants to this tribal belt and block area for their vote bank. We want to protect the tribal belt and block area and also the indigenous people. We demand the government to evict the suspected people from here.”

Ashrafuddin Choudhury told ANI that they have been living in the area for the last 100 years and that the illegal migrants should be evicted.

“We have many documents that are 100 years old and we are indigenous people. We want that this tribal belt and block area should be protected. We are with the government in this eviction drive,” Ashrafuddin Choudhury said.

On September 12, two people were killed and seven others were injured in a police firing. After a mob of around 1500 people attacked government officials, including on-duty police, with sharp weapons and threw stones at them, obstructing them from performing their government duty during an eviction drive.

Twenty-two police personnel and a Revenue Circle officer were also injured in the mob attack.

Meanwhile, the administration has served notices to many other people of Sonapur Kachutali area to leave the tribal belt and block area.