Moinul Haque, Sheikh Farid and Saddam Husaain

HRD and Residents of Kirokata Char village,

Assam

HRDA has issued an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission of India on September 25, 2021, regarding misuse of law and firing on unarmed protestors, protesting against eviction drive by Assam police resulting in the death of three protestors and injuring others. 

Residents of Kirokata Char village, Sipajhar area of Darrang district of Assam, were opposing the eviction drive by the Assam government. The citizens killed in the police firing were: Moinul Haque (30-year-old vegetable grower), Shekh Farid (a 12-year-old), and Saddam Husaain.

On September 22, the Assam administration served an eviction notice to the residents of Kirakota Char to evict the alleged ‘illegal encroachers’ from land. On the next day, the resident started protesting against the eviction notice after which the administration officials promised the villagers to provide rehabilitation facilities before eviction. After this, nearly 100 armed policemen from the Assam Police reached Dhalpur No. 3, to evict the residents of the Sipajhar area of Darrang district. The community members were peacefully protesting against it but the police started firing. As a result, three persons, including one minor, died and 20 people were injured. 

The media was covering the incident and the entire video went viral on social media. In which it showed dozens of armed policemen were firing and thrashing a man named Mr. Moinul Haque. The photographer hired by the district administration, Mr. Bijaya Shankar Baniya, is also seen horrifically assaulting the injured or dead man by jumping on his body repeatedly in full view of dozens of policemen who do not take any action to stop or arrest the photographer. After the incident, The SP of Darrang, Mr. Sushanta Biswa Sarma who is a brother of the Assam CM, Mr. Himanta Biswa Sarma has claimed that locals attacked them with stones therefore, they had to use force because nine policemen were also injured.

This horrific act by the local administration and Assam police clearly violates the human rights of unarmed protestors and procedures of national and international law along with article 21 of the Indian constitution which guarantees life with dignity. Apart from that, Article-3 of the Universal Declaration also provides that everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person. It also violates the code of conduct of police in India in managing a protest.