A solar Plant is anticipated to be built on 330 acres cleared by excavators, bulldozers, and demolition workers in the district’s No. 3 Chitalmari region. According to a district police official, around 90% of the unlawful inhabitants had already departed the area with their goods after getting the eviction notice eight months ago. The operation was carried out with considerable security and anti-riot equipment, yet there were no disturbances or protests from the public.
Most of the evicted families were Bengali-speaking Muslims followed by Bengali Hindus, Gurkhas and a few tribals. Many of them were victims of erosion by the Brahmaputra River and had relocated to Sonitpur. Special Director-General of Police (Law and Order), Gyanendra Pratap Singh told journalists that the eviction was carried out under the supervision of four senior officers. “The land has been cleared for a solar plant, and dthe rive began around 5 am ,and as most residents had already vacated their houses, the structures are being demolished with the help of excavators and other heavy machinery,” he said.
According to a resident “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 said, gathering the last of her belongings as the excavators approached the structure that used to be her home. The area to be cleared has been divided into three parts and the demolition in one part has been completed by 9 am.
About 1,200 security personnel, including those of Assam Police and para-military forces, have been deployed at the site, equipped with anti-riot gear The incident-free eviction in Sonitpur was in sharp contrast to similar drives in other parts of Assam since September 2021. At least two people died after the police opened fire on people who resisted eviction in the Gorukhuti area of Darrang district a year ago.
