Dispur: The Assam government has now ordered a judicial probe into a firing incident that took place in Dhalpur killing two policemen in Darrang district during an anti-encroachment drive.
As per the official notification, the inquiry would be conducted under the chairmanship of a retired Judge of Gauhati High Court.
"The Government in the Home and Political Departments have decided to institute an inquiry into the circumstances leading to the death of two civilians and injury of several others including police personnel in the firing incident that took place at Dhalpur area in Sipajhar Revenue Circle, under Darrang District on September 23, 2021," it stated.
Violence broke out on Thursday in Sipajhar of Darrang district in Assam during an anti-encroachment drive.
Superintendent of Police (SP), Darrang Sushanta Biswa Sarma said that people at the spot pelted stones and attacked police personnel. He further said that nine policemen were injured in the incident.
Police initially fired in air to disperse the protesters but failed, forcing the men in uniform to fire at people, killing two and injuring at least ten others. Around 10 more, including policemen, were also injured in clashes.
Meanwhile, a witness said some villagers in the state's Dholpur area had attacked security personnel who had arrived there to carry out an eviction drive. This eventually led the cops to open fire, as per an India Today report.
Meanwhile, a video of the incident has gone viral on social media where a photographer is seen kicking a person, presumably dead.
However, the photographer soon returned, jumped over the injured man’s body and hit him with something he had picked up lying close by.
The police were seen again asking him to move away. Meanwhile, the man's left arm lifted momentarily, before he dropped still with a red circle of blood, purportedly from a bullet wound, on his chest while a 'Gomosa' laid crumpled beside him. The DGP of Assam Police tweeted that Bijoy Bonia, a professional photographer, hired by the district administration to document the situation, has been arrested.
The Darrang district administration has so far cleared 602.40 hectares of land and evicted 800 families since Monday and demolished four 'illegally' constructed religious structures at Sipajhar.
Meanwhile, the incident drew widespread condemnation, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi calling the police action "state-sponsored fire".
