Guwahati: The state machinery under Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is being met with a flurry of questions over the killing of two Muslim brothers on suspicion of being poachers by state forest department guards in Nagaon district last weekend.
The killings have raised concerns among the state’s activists, politicians and the opposition alike over the blatant violation of human rights and Sarma’s usage of communal undertones ever since his consolidation of power in the state.
The incident occurred in the wee hours of June 22 near Roumari beel under Gorajan Forest at Laokhowa Burhachapori Wildlife Sanctuary when brothers Somar Uddin (36) and Abdul Jalil (44), residents of the nearby Dhingbori Chapori, village allegedly trespassed into the wildlife sanctuary. The forest guard reportedly assumed they were poachers and shot the two dead.
The All-Assam Students’ Union (AAMSU) on Thursday (June 27) sent a memorandum to Sarma demanding justice for the two dead brothers and monetary compensation for their family members.
AAMSU had earlier on June 24 filed a FIR (First Information Report) at Juria police station in Nagaon district.
In the FIR, AAMSU named four forest officials from the forest department, accusing them of killing the two brothers with ‘common intention’.
Ainuddin Ahmed, advisor to AAMSU, said, “The two brothers were unarmed and were shot in the chest. They were farmers from a nearby village and not poachers. This is a killing targeting poor Muslims. Sarma has a lot to answer for.”
The PTI in a report quoting two anonymous sources from the local police stated, “The two brothers had entered the area around midnight for illegal fishing activity. They purportedly attempted to flee the spot when the forest guards spotted them, leading the latter to fire, which resulted in their death.”
After the incident was reported, Sarma resorted to X (formerly Twitter). He posted that he had directed the chief secretary of Assam to probe the incident.
Speaking to The Wire, Rajya Sabha MP Ajit Kumar Bhuyan said, “This is a big issue concerning the law and order in the state. It is not an isolated incident. Sarma is known for his communal undertones. It is an unconstitutional act. It also shows that the police and forest department are being used as political tools. Injustices are being meted out to the people of Assam.”
The Wire also spoke to Debabrata Saikia, the leader of opposition (LOP) in the state assembly, who said that the incident is a blatant human rights violation and Sarma must answer for it.
“No law permits such action. It is a violation of human rights, and the forest department must answer several questions as to why they killed the two men. This is a regular pattern that has emerged under the aegis of Sarma ever since he took hold of power in the state. This incident has shown that no proper guidelines or frameworks have been followed,” said he.
Nurul Huda, the MLA from Rupohihat (LAC) constituency in Nagaon district, told The Wire, “The forest department said that the two brothers sneaked into the wildlife sanctuary for illegal fishing activity. If this is the case, where are the fishing nets and other fishing tools? If the forest guards had to resort to shooting, they should have shot them in the legs. The forest department didn’t follow any proper procedure.”
“Protecting the right to life is an important obligation and fatal force should be used only as a last resort. As a human rights activist, I believe an independent and credible investigation is a must. The National Human Rights Commission should order a suo motu investigation too,” said Anjuman Ara Begum, a human rights activist.
