District administration dismantles Jamiat-e-Ulema office allegedly on encroached land in Nagaon

The Nagaon district administration on January 4 demolished a temporary office of the local unit of the Jamiat-e-Ulema and some half-constructed shops, allegedly constructed on encroached land, a official said. 

Circle Officer Ishan Kumar Singh told reporters that the construction was allegedly done on the playground of Sonaighat Government School and the demolition was carried out after complaints from the school authorities, 

The land was allegedly encroached by a local Jamiat office bearer Nurul Amin Choudhury who built a temporary office of the organisation and initiated the construction of around ten shops.

According to reports the school authorities had given a written complaint to the district authorities and after a detailed investigation of the land records, it was decided to carry out the demolition, Singh said. 

A teacher, Mainul Haque Choudhury, said that the authorities had written to the administration as the children were unable to play because of the illegal construction in the playground There were several attempts to contact the Jamiat office-bearer, who locals claimed is the treasurer of the local unit, with reporters going to his house here but he refused to talk to the media.

Other Jamiat members too refused to comment on the demolition. A massive eviction drive was carried out on encroached land at Batadrava in Nagaon district last month affecting nearly 1,000 families.

Earlier, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma while speaking to the media had said that the state government would stop the eviction process in Assam given the President of India’s intervention.

Reacting to Badruddin Ajmal's letter to President Droupadi Murmu seeking her intervention to stop the eviction, CM Sarma said that eviction takes place in Assam complying with the high court’s order.

“We only follow the high court and Supreme court’s order while carrying out the eviction process in Assam. It is only the high court that directs us to clear forest land and others. If the President can interfere in it I have no problem with that. Even I don’t like the eviction process,” he said.

Sarma had said that the high court has ordered Assam Government to carry out the eviction in Goalpara forest land and that if the President i*ntervenes in the process he has no problem with it.