BJP Defends Decision to Evict 5,000 Muslims in Assam as Pakistan Lodges Formal Protest With India
12:39 GMT 25.09.2021 (Updated: 10:39 GMT 19.07.2022)
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi's governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has long accused the political opposition, including the federal opposition Congress party, of allowing undocumented Muslim immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh into Assam and providing them with Indian identity documents to boost their political support base.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state government in India's north-eastern Assam state has defended its decision to evict nearly 5,000 Muslims from their homes this week, with state chief Himanta Biswa Sarma claiming that the families had been informed beforehand that they were encroaching upon government land.
“Evictions were done as per their consent. I had told them about [the] evictions and that they should ensure no resistance, which they promised”, Sarma said, adding that the “illegal settlers” went back on their word and “created mayhem” the next day.
At least 800 families, described as "illegal immigrants", have been evicted in the state’s Darrang district, about 60 kilometres from the state capital Guwahati, since the drive began on 20 September.
Sarma has accused the people, most of them Muslims, of illegally encroaching upon land which was meant for the construction of a Hindu temple. The state chief also says that he had promised them land elsewhere as compensation.
2 September 2021, 13:26 GMT
The eviction drive turned violent on 23 September after locals in one of the villages where the process was ongoing showed resistance. The local police claim that they were pelted with stones and even heard gunshots, before they retaliated with force. At least two people were killed and around 20 people, including officers, were injured in the violence, according to the state administration.
The opposition Congress party has asked for Darrang’s district magistrate and local police superintendent to be sacked over the firing incident. A video of policemen attacking a “settler” on Thursday has sparked concerns of “police brutality” in the ongoing eviction push.
On Camera, Assam Cops Thrash Protesters, Open Fire During Eviction Drive.
— INC akhter (@INC_akhter) September 23, 2021
Nine Policemen And Two Civilians Are Said To Be Injured In The Clash... pic.twitter.com/BDtioF3xZ6
The Congress party, also the main opposition party in the state legislative assembly, has demanded an independent probe into the whole affair.
APCC President Sri @BhupenKBorah has submitted a memorandum to the Hon'le Governor of Assam through DC of Darrang, demanding immediate halt of eviction & suspension of DC & SP of Darrang Dist & judicial enquiry on the barbaric act of police firing under sitting High Court Judge. pic.twitter.com/RbpP9inBQq
— Assam Congress (@INCAssam) September 24, 2021
Sarma, meanwhile, said that he also kept the opposition in the loop in the lead-up to the eviction drive. "[Congress leaders] agreed with me and appreciated the decision”, he claimed.
The BJP member further alleged that the local residents in the area were incited to violently protest against the state authorities by the Popular Front of India (PFI), an Islamist political outfit. He said that the state authorities were probing links between the PFI and the encroachers.
Pakistan Summons Indian Charge d’Affaires Over Eviction of Muslims
Pakistan has reacted strongly to the evictions in the north-eastern Indian state, as it summoned New Delhi’s the deputy high commissioner to Islamabad and current charge d’affaires (Cd’A), Suresh Kumar, to lodge a formal protest over the incident on Friday.
“It was conveyed to the Indian official that the recent incidents of violence are, unfortunately, only a continuation of the relentless anti-Muslim violence which has become a norm in India under state patronage”, a statement from the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said.
16 June 2020, 14:46 GMT
Islamabad also accused Indian security forces of being involved in such incidents against Muslims, as it red-flagged the video of police brutality in Assam this week.
“The CdA was told that the Government of India must investigate the recent anti-Muslim violence in Assam and other such incidents that have happened throughout India and punish the perpetrators of these crimes”, said the Pakistani statement.
