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Journalism of Courage
A massive eviction drive began at Assam’s Sonipat district early on Saturday morning, with heavy security in place while 330 acres of land was cleared.
Speaking to IndianExpress.com, Sonitpur SP Sushanta Biswa Sarma said, “The eviction drive is going on. There is no resistance. It’s peaceful.” He also said the eviction drive, which began at 5 am, was likely to be completed by 2 pm.
Around 50 excavators, a vast number of workers and heavy machinery is present at the site to demolish houses in No 3 Chitalmari area in Barchalla on the northern bank of Brahmaputra river, according to news agency PTI.
The eviction drive was peacefully completed without any incident, the official told reporters.
According to the PTI report, residents who were living here have already left with their belongings afer being served eviction notices. One resident claimed the government has not provided them any rehabilitation facilities. “We have been living here for decades. We have no jobs and live off the fields here. We don’t know where we will go,” a woman was quoted as saying by PTI.
About 1,200 security personnel have been deployed at the site and they have been equipped with anti-riot gear.
