Guwahati, July 17: Tensions flared near the Paikan Reserve Forest in Assam’s Goalpara district on Wednesday, days after a massive eviction drive cleared over 140 hectares of encroached forest land. Violent clashes broke out between alleged illegal settlers and security forces, leading to the death of one person and injuries to several others, including police personnel.

According to police sources, the confrontation began when a large group of evicted settlers attempted to re-enter the cleared forest area. As police and forest officials tried to prevent them, the group allegedly pelted stones, prompting the security forces to respond with force, including blank firing to disperse the crowd.

Police sources confirmed that one person died in the incident, while another critically injured individual has been rushed to Guwahati for treatment. Multiple police personnel were also injured and are undergoing treatment at the Goalpara District Hospital.

The deceased was identified as Shakoor Hussain.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has reacted to the incident, stating that the police were obstructed from performing their duty and warned that strict action will follow.

“Police were stopped from performing their lawful duty. Appropriate action will be taken,” Sarma said in a statement.

The district administration has rushed reinforcements to the area to prevent further escalation. As of now, the situation remains tense, with additional security deployments across the forest fringe villages.

The eviction on July 12 was part of the state’s larger drive to reclaim encroached forest land. Officials said the cleared land forms part of an important elephant corridor, and the settlers had posed a threat to wildlife movement and the local ecosystem.

Paikan Reserve Forest, covering 711 hectares, has been under pressure due to alleged illegal settlements over the past several years. Forest officials maintain that the evictions are necessary to protect biodiversity and ensure the integrity of protected forest zones.

Also Read: BJP slams Rahul and Kharge, demands Congress apology for Assam’s past wounds

Also Watch

Find latest news from every corner of Northeast India at hubnetwork.in, your online source for breaking news, video coverage.

Also, Follow us on-

Twitter-twitter.com/nemediahub

Youtube channel- www.youtube.com/@NortheastMediaHub2020

Instagram- www.instagram.com/ne_media_hub

Download our app from playstore – Northeast Media Hub