3000 'encroachers' evicted from Assam-Nagaland border area

DIPHU: An eviction drive to evict around 3,000 encroachers along the Assam-Nagaland border was carried out on Monday by the Karbi Anglong district administration and the autonomous council of the district, officials said.

The Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) of Assam had identified the encroachers, belonging to 107 families, and the eviction drive was peaceful, district Superintendent of Police Pushpdhar Singh told media.

The KAAC had earlier the 3,000-odd people who were living illegally at Lahorijan block in Bokajan sub-division of the district to leave.

Around 2,000 of them had already dismantled their homes and left the area with their belongings while others also agreed to vacate the land, the police officer said.

It needs mention here that Autonomous councils have the executive power to function on land and land revenue matters.

Meanwhile, the district administration has imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC in the area to maintain public peace.

All shops and business establishments within 700 metres radius of the area were also asked to down shutters during the eviction drive.

The encroachers are mostly Muslims and Nepali community people while a few of them are from Nagaland, an official said.

The eviction drive in Karbi Anglong comes more than two months after the Darrang district administration carried out a similar programme at Gorukhuti in Sipajhar area to clear encroached land in the riverine areas near the Dholpur Shiva Mandir which led to violence, resulting in the death of two persons, including a 12-year-old boy, and injury to several police personnel.

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