GUWAHATI: The Supreme Court has directed the Assam government to respond to a writ petition filed by the family of deceased Zubair Alam in the Sonapur eviction firing, which took place last year. The petition has challenged the police action taken during the drive.
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The petition has also sought compensation and an impartial investigation into the incident, as the petitioners have raised concerns over the absence of a judicial inquiry despite police action resulting in fatalities.
According to legal norms, any police firing that results in death mandates a judicial investigation. However, such a probe was not initiated, and families of the deceased were reportedly not provided with post-mortem reports, leading to questions on procedural compliance.
The petition further urged the court to direct a magisterial inquiry into the police action and to ensure the release of post-mortem examination reports of the deceased. The family is additionally seeking financial compensation.
In response, the Supreme Court has given the Assam government three weeks to submit an affidavit in response to the petition. The court will take further steps after considering the state’s version of events.
The September 2024 drive had cleared over 1,200 bighas of land and demolished around 200 structures. Most of the affected families were Bengali-speaking Muslims who had settled in the area over decades, many citing displacement due to river erosion.
On Friday, April 4, another eviction was carried out in Kochutoli Pathar under the Sonapur revenue circle. It targeted reoccupation of government land that had been cleared in the earlier drive, marking the second such operation in the area in seven months.
