Assam: Public cemetery wall demolished, tension mounts in Betkuchi area of Guwahati

Tensions have arisen in the Betkuchi area of Guwahati, Assam, after the wall of a public cemetery was demolished, according to reports that emerged on March 28.

Local sources have alleged that the authorities, in the absence of the community, demolished the wall of the cemetery. They claim that no advance notice was given to them and that the authorities carried out the eviction drive despite the objections raised by them.

The locals have further alleged that the authorities did not have any proper evidence to support their sudden decision to conduct the eviction drive.

Meanwhile, the Circle Officer has claimed that the land on which the wall was built was allotted to two satras. He stated that the land was allotted to Bengena Ati satra and North Kamalabari satra. The Circle Officer further claimed that the cemetery committee built the wall while a hearing on the land was going on in court.

The authorities have claimed that they are not carrying out any eviction drive in the cemetery, rather they have just demolished the wall built on someone else’s allotted land.

The incident has raised concerns among the local community members, who are worried about the authorities carrying out such acts without any prior consultation with them.

This is not the first instance of eviction drives being carried out in Guwahati. In January, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) had carried out an eviction drive in the Basistha area of the city.

During the drive, the building of an association was razed to the ground as it was allegedly built over a pond. The building was constructed after digging the reservoir, due to which the area faced an artificial flood after a few minutes of rain.

An official from the GMC claimed that notices had been sent to the concerned persons before the building was demolished. The building was demolished as it was built over a pond, which caused an artificial flood.