Tension at Jaluguti Police Outpost in Morigaon Following Villagers Protest.
Villagers Had Filed Cases Against Several Prominent Residents for Opposing Alleged Anti-Social Activities.
Dalim Phukan | Hills Live News, Morigaon | November 11
Tension prevailed at Jaluguti Police Outpost in Morigaon district on Monday night following a protest by hundreds of villagers demanding the eviction of several unfamiliar families who had allegedly constructed houses and settled in Mikargaon village without the knowledge or consent of the local residents. The situation remained tense in the area on Tuesday.
According to local sources, three unfamiliar families had started constructing houses and residing in Mikargaon, under the jurisdiction of the Mikirbheta Revenue Circle in Morigaon district, about one-and-a-half months ago. Their settlement without the knowledge of the villagers reportedly caused considerable concern among local residents.
The residents of the greater Mikargaon area, where Hindus and Muslims have traditionally lived together, claimed that they had maintained a long-standing village practice of opposing the sale of land to non-indigenous people and their settlement in the area.
Following a public meeting, the villagers reportedly decided to ask the unfamiliar families to leave the village. Subsequently, the families lodged a complaint at Jaluguti Police Outpost against several prominent residents, including Majibur Rahman, Rajab Ali, Saidur Rahman, Mustafa Ali, Rupchad Ali, Hazrat Ali, Safnur Ali, Ayub Ali and Juwad Ali.
On Monday afternoon, when police personnel went to the village in search of the persons named in the complaint, the move triggered resentment among the villagers. Later, a section of the villagers, accompanied by the persons whom the police had gone to look for, reached Jaluguti Police Outpost at night.
Led by Mikargaon Village Development Committee president Majibur Rahman, general secretary Rajab Ali, and Mikargaon Regional Committee president Gopiram Bordoloi and secretary Saidur Rahman, nearly 500 agitated villagers staged a protest at the police outpost, demanding that the unfamiliar families be evicted from the village. Their protest created a tense situation at the police outpost.
The protesters alleged that a person named Saifuddin, a resident of Kalikajari in the district, had allegedly been involved in various anti-social activities, including cattle theft and drug trafficking. They claimed that Saifuddin had hurriedly constructed houses and settled in Mikargaon without informing the villagers. According to the protesters, their opposition to his settlement had prompted him to lodge a police complaint against several village residents at Jaluguti Police Outpost.