Congress MP Abdul Khaleque slams eviction drive in Assam

A Congress MP has slammed the “two-faced” drive by the BJP-led authorities to make Assam encroachment-free. He has additionally requested the Gauhati High Court to be aware of the eviction drive that violates human rights amid the continuing COVID-19 disaster.

Abdul Khaleque, who represents western Assam’s Barpeta constituency in the Lok Sabha, stated the State authorities’s transfer to evict 1000’s of settlers from greater than 77,000 bighas of State-owned land was “two-faced”.

This was in reference to 2.28 lakh periodic pattas (land deeds) and allotment certificates distributed amongst landless individuals belonging to the indigenous communities on greater than 2.09 lakh bighas of presidency land in the course of the tenure of Sarbananda Sonowal.

Local authorities and the police have, over per week, freed greater than 400 bighas of presidency land of encroachers in Hojai, Karimganj and Darrang districts. More than 200 homes, largely belonging to migrant Muslims, have been uprooted.

“At a dire time of COVID-19 crisis, the government’s eviction in Sonitpur and Hojai is a violation of Articles 21 and 39 of the Indian Constitution. Encroachers should be evicted but not at a time of crisis,” Mr. Khaleque stated, including that the federal government ought to have served notices to the settlers and supplied them with dwellings elsewhere.

In an attraction to the Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court on June 7, the MP cited the courtroom’s May 10 pandemic-related order that stated: “It is also made clear that any decree for eviction/dispossession or demolition which was passed by any court, tribunal or authority during this period, shall remain in abeyance subject to any specific orders which may be passed in a given case.”

The All Assam Minority Students’ Union (AAMSU) has additionally criticised the eviction drive.

“The State government has violated the High Court’s order that clearly states there would be no eviction drive during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Assam government should stop harassing the minority people under communal agenda,” the AAMSU stated.

The Assam Cabinet on June 8 fashioned a committee for correctly utilising the 77,000 bighas of land free of encroachers. The committee is headed by BJP legislator Padma Hazarika.