Amid eviction drive by NFR, an immense chaos by locals in Digboi

Bogapani(Assam): On the morning of February 15, local people who tried to stop the eviction drive by the North East Frontier Railway (NFR) were allegedly lathi-charged by security forces in Bogapani area under Digboi police station in Tansukia district. The situation became tense.

According to sources, several local people were injured in the clash with the police and security forces.
However, according to Digboi police, no one was injured as a result of the dispute.
Debajyoti Dutta, officer-in-charge of Digboi police station, told the media that there was no incident of lathi charge, but the police had to push back the protesters as they tried to stop the NFR’s eviction drive. “In the first phase, NFR is working on electrification of the area from Bogapani railway station to Makum railway station,” Dutta added.
Additionally, the police official said that in the second phase, the electrification work will extend to all the routes up to Ledo railway station.

“More than 200 residents, including some shops, will be evicted in the NFR eviction drive,” the in-charge officer added.
“The government has demolished the houses, businesses of Adivasi people, Nepali people and tea plantation workers who are living here doing their business, doing their daily labor and supporting their families. “Government is only for the rich. They don’t. Take care of the poor. We brought an injunction today against the eviction drive.”The injunction mentions that till March 15, 2023, 1500 houses will be exempted from the eviction drive as per the said date. Neither the government nor the railway department paid attention. An eviction campaign has been launched”, said a leader of the All Assam Tea Tribe Student Association present at the eviction site.
A similar conflict between the public and the police emerged from Bogapani neighborhood two years ago when the administration launched an eviction drive in a historic “Dangoria Baba Than” in an effort to clear the way.
Meanwhile, a day earlier, district administrations in Nagaon and Sonitpur in Assam had launched an eviction drive to clear the Bura Chapori Wildlife Sanctuary of illegal encroachments.