Assam violence

An element of macabre being added to an eviction drive gone horribly wrong in Sipajhar area of Assam’s Darrang district is a clear instance of what execution of political decisions without suitable administrative groundwork can lead to. Especially since Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had visited the area in June and promised to free 77,000 bighas from ‘encroachers’ on the northern banks of the Brahmaputra, and allot this land to the landless among the indigenous communities — a key poll plank of the BJP-led alliance. Then, as now, the residents, from the minority community, had voiced strong opposition to the eviction plan, claiming they had been living there since the 1970s. Confrontation was inevitable, violence was certainly preventable.

An inquiry has been ordered, but whatever the provocation, it would be hard to justify the horrifying visuals of bullets flying at unseen targets, lathis being wielded randomly and a photographer hired by the authorities stomping on and punching a wounded man moments before he became motionless. On Monday, the Assam government announced having ‘reclaimed’ a chunk of land from 800 families, mostly Bengali-speaking, but Thursday saw resistance building up, with those affected demanding rehabilitation and adequate time to move out. For his supporters, the Chief Minister’s assertion that the eviction would not stop is an indication of his firm resolve, but relying primarily on harsh tactics as the line of action is flawed.

The government should pay heed to voices within the state calling for rehabilitation and alternative housing. The Opposition’s observation that a government’s job is to work for the welfare of people, and not create problems by making them homeless, deserves contemplation. The issue of illegal settlers is a tricky subject in the state, which is already struggling with the complexities and human suffering as a consequence of the National Register of Citizens. Stoking tensions in a surcharged atmosphere is an avoidable exercise. A touch of pragmatism and consideration would do no harm.