An excavator cleaning demolishes illegal constructions after an eviction drive, at Gorukhuti in Darrang district.
Credit: PTI Photo
Guwahati: The one-man inquiry commission of the Assam government set up to probe the eviction drive that killed two people three years ago at Gorukhuti in Darrang district submitted its report to CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday.
According to an official statement, the commission headed by retired retired high court judge BD Agarwal submitted the report that comprises 319 pages and "16 key recommendations".
"During the course of the inquiry, the Commission received 55 memorandums and 44 witnesses were cross-examined," it said.
Upon conclusion of the inquiry, Justice Agarwal has formally submitted the inquiry report to Sarma, it added.
The statement, however, did not share the contents or the recommendations of the report.
During the violent eviction drive at Dhalpur villages of Gorukhuti area in Sipajhar revenue circle in September 2021, two persons were killed and several people, including police personnel, were injured.
According to sources, the report dealt with the Settlement Rules of the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation, 1886 at length and elaborately discussed the "deficiencies" in it.
"The report suggested the government to re-examine the clauses. It also spoke about excess use of police force, especially the application of arms, during the eviction exercise," they said.
The inquiry found that notices were issued to the alleged encroachers just a day or two in advance to vacate the land, they added.
"It said that the government should look into this and notices should be sent giving enough time for voluntary relocation by the people," sources said.
Around 1,200-1,400 houses, mostly belonging to Bengali-speaking Muslims, were razed to the ground on September 20 and 23 of 2021 in Dhalpur I, II and III villages of Gorukhuti, leaving over 7,000 people homeless.
The eviction drive also left two dead in police firing on September 23, including a 12-year-old boy who had got his first identity proof, an Aadhaar card, just before he was shot dead.
Over 20 people were injured, including policemen.
The Assam government later initiated a multi-dimensional agriculture project in the area.