During the recent events in Guwahati, Assam, a sequence of protests had happened, and all those events were accompanied by the police actions and government commitments.
Earlier, 34 protesters were found in police custody but they were finally released on a personal bail. However, the situation accelerated when nine individuals, including women, were arrested by the police on a subsequent Friday. All those individuals were engaged in a semi-naked protest at the banks of Silsako Beel in response to an eviction drive that had been carried out at Silsako on 1st September 2023.
These nine individuals, including the most important people like Akash Dale, the general secretary of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, Bidyut Saikia, the general secretary of the Guwahati Committee, Palakshi Das representing the TMC, Vishal Chaudhary from Lachit Sena, and Rakesh Rajvanshi and Vikram Koch, were taken into the police custody. All these people were scheduled to appear in the court, facing all possible legal consequences for their protest actions.
Most Importantly, the state government has made a promise to address the concerns or the problems faced by the affected people. The government’s plan involved resettling all those individuals within Guwahati. To achieve this, the Assam government has been committed to provide residential flats to those affected by the eviction drive. Along with this, compensation was also given to these individuals in line with housing norms.
The protests followed by the arrests represents a complicated and controversial issue, commenting on the tensions connecting eviction drives and the rights of those who were affected during the drive. The efforts of the government in providing housing facilities and compensation showcases an attempt to address all these concerns and potentially ease out the ongoing situation in Assam.
The recent events in Guwahati have seen many protests, detentions, and government commitments in response to an eviction drive. The actions taken by the police and the government promises the multifaceted nature of this issue, spotlighting the challenges and efforts to address the grievances of those affected due to the eviction drive.
