5 families that faced bulldozer justice 2 years ago get Rs 30 lakh from Assam govt

The court has also sought information on the action taken against “the erring officers who are responsible for demolition of the houses of the affected persons illegally”. Government Advocate Nath sought four weeks to inform the court about this.

The Assam government has paid compensation of Rs 30 lakh to five families whose homes authorities had bulldozed two years back over their alleged involvement in torching a police station in Nagaon district.

The government has also sanctioned compensation of  Rs 2.5 lakh for the family of Safikul Islam — whose death after being taken into custody had led to the arson at the Batadrava police station by local residents.

The Assam government’s counsel submitted the compensation details to the Gauhati High Court Wednesday. Senior Government Advocate D Nath also told the Division Bench of Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Suman Shyam that Islam’s family had not yet been able to produce a next of kin certificate and that authorities would process the payment once they received the document.

He informed the court that the Nagaon Superintendent of Police had made the compensatory payment to the other five families Monday.

On May 21, 2022, a mob from Salonabari village in Nagaon district had set fire to a part of the Batadrava police station after the death of Islam, a fish-seller, after police took him into custody. The very next day, authorities demolished the homes of five families allegedly involved in the incident. At that time, police alleged that the demolished homes belonged to people who had settled there “illegally or with forged documents”.

Last year, in a suo motu hearing on the demolitions, a Division Bench headed by then High Court Chief Justice R M Chhaya said it expects the state government to compensate the people affected by the “illegal action”. The court had earlier come down heavily on the then police superintendent, stating that the police cannot, “under the guise of investigation”, bulldoze anyone’s house without permission.

The court has also sought information on the action taken against “the erring officers who are responsible for demolition of the houses of the affected persons illegally”. Government Advocate Nath sought four weeks to inform the court about this.

The affidavit stated that a search operation led by the Kaliabor subdivisional police officer in the presence of revenue officers could not locate any contraband items in the homes of the accused after initial searches owing to “lack of cooperation” with the police.