Nagaon: Illegal Muslim encroachers attacked the forest office in Bura Chapari Sanctuary and injured four forest officials, including the District Forest Officer (DFO). Forest guards had to resort to fire to prevent the attack by hundreds of encroachers, which included men, women and underage youth. Five encroachers, including one woman, were injured in the forest guards firing.
The incident occurred in East Lathimari of Burha Chapari Sanctuary in Nagaon and Sonitpur district. The injured were identified as Ahmed Ali, Ramazan Ali and Rahima Khatun. Two other injured are yet to be identified. DFO Jayant Deka, a forest guard named Abdul Wahid, and Arun Saikia were seriously injured in the attack by encroachers. As per the report, the Muslim encroachers were trying to build houses in the Bura Chapari Sanctuary by encroaching on it. The Bura Chapori Sanctuary was cleared in a massive eviction drive on February 14 this year. But the illegal encroachers were trying to re-encroach it a few weeks after the eviction drive. On July 17, hundreds of encroachers armed with bamboo sticks, iron rods, knives, and stones attacked the Sitalamari forest camp inside the sanctuary. DFO Jayanta Deka and three forest guards were seriously injured in the attack. The forest guards had to resort to fire to control the violent mob and avoid further attack. Five attackers were injured in the firing. Senior police officials of the Nagaon and Sonitpur districts were rushed to the spot. Police and paramilitary forces were deployed in the area to control the situation.
It should be mentioned that the Assam Government carried out a massive eviction drive in Bura Chapori Sanctuary on February 14 and 15th this year. `More than 2500 families have illegally occupied the forest area under Bura Chapori Sanctuary for decades`, and the cover cleared `encroachment on 1,892 hectares of land belonging to the Bura Chapori sanctuary this year. According to the Assam Land and revenue department records, 2,513 families were residing in the encroached forest area and were issued notices to vacate the land. The ruling BJP alleged that during the Congress tenure from 2001 to 2016, hundreds of illegal Bangladeshi families were settled inside the forest land. The previous Congress government in Assam constructed roads for illegal encroaches.
The Congress government also allotted electricity connections, Anganwadi centres, and schools to the encroachers.
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