Land dispute between two parties lead to brawl in Rongpur; Police Van vandalised, CRPF deployed

A land dispute in Silchar’s Rongpur led to a heated clash between two parties. A shop and a police vehicle got damaged during the fight and several men and women from both parties were left injured. With the police intervention, 8 people were arrested and right now CRPF has been deployed to keep the situation calm at the locality. The land in question is disputed and is under an ongoing case at the district court.

Almost 60 kathas of land have been a matter of dispute between the two locals for a long time in Rongpur Part IV. They are namely, Biju Barlaskar and Salebh Barlaskar. On Thursday evening, this dispute became the matter of a heated clash, with stone pelting, attack and threats between the two parties. As per the video received by our correspondent, one party clearly overpowered the other. A shop’s glass panel was shattered with a pole and men from both parties were fighting on the street. When police from the Silchar Sadar Thana rushed to the spot to control the situation, a police vehicle was also damaged during the clash.

After intervention by the police force, a total of 8 men and women were arrested from both parties. Speaking to a Barak Bulletin correspondent, a woman from Salebh Barlaskar’s party said, “We have been here since the last hundred years and a few days back they (Biju Barlaskar’s party) claimed this land belongs to them. After that, we went to the court and filed a complaint. The court sent them a notice and asked them to produce the papers within August 30. They didn’t obey the court’s order and a few days back, at around three in the night they attacked our home. They pelted stones and damaged glass windows, which injured our kids. We had to lock ourselves from the inside and take help from the police. We could come out only after police intervention and the police asked them not to repeat this attack. Even after all this, they attacked us again today. Within 5 minutes, they attacked twice”.

The woman didn’t reveal her identity but further said, “When the police came upon receiving our call, they threatened to burn us alive, in front of the police officers. The Police arrested two men from our home after the first attack but didn’t say anything to them. Later during the second attack, they shattered our shop’s glass window and pelted stones. They came with weapons and daggers and threatened to kill my elder brother. All the men of our home have been arrested and after that, they said they will burn us alive”. The situation has come under control after the long clash and only with the central force’s intervention, but this attack has spread fear in the whole locality.