Beans worth Rs 5 lakh destroyed on 2 bigha land in Cachar; Udarbond Police refuses to register FIR, asks to sort mutually

A farmer has alleged that his farm has been destroyed by a man who threatened him to do so. The incident happened in Cachar District’s Dayapur Part IV area under the Udarbond Police Station.

According to the allegations pressed by Sudham Rikiason, a farmer by profession, Venu Chauhan – a resident of the same village threatened him that he will destroy the beans farmed by Rikiason. To his astonishment, when Rikiason went to his farm land on November 3 to water the plants, all the broad beans were uprooted. Budding broad beans (locally known as shim) farmed on 2 bigha land worth more than Rs 5 lakh were destroyed.

Rikiason says he immediately went to the Udarbond Police station and lodged an FIR against Venu Chauhan and his son Deepak Chauhan who had threatened to destroy the agriculture. Accordingly, based on the FIR, the Police officials visited the farmland and detained Venu Chauhan. However, the accused was released on the same day within hours. This has irked the locals as well as the complainant, Sudham Rikiason.

Today morning, when our correspondent went to the Udarbond Police Station, it was uncovered that the Police has not registered the FIR yet though more than 24 hours have passed since the complainant registered his complaint. When asked why the FIR wasn’t lodged by the Police, officials responded to our correspondent, “We were waiting for them to sort it out between them mutually,” said the official. He refused to answer any further questions, such as if Rikiason was informed that the Police wants them to sort it out mutually. Moreover, if the complainant has reached with a complaint to the Police, where comes the question of mutual settlement. The officials simply walked away without providing any answers to the important questions.

Shyamlal Chauhan, who is the in-charge of the Village Development Party said that he is an eyewitness to the fact that Venu Chauhan was detained by Police and then released within hours. “When I asked the officials, why they released Venu Chauhan and Deepak Chauhan, the officials said that because of Diwali. I was shocked with the response, but apparently, Venu Chauhan and Deepak Chauhan had some people coming into their house and that is why the Police had let them go,” said Shyamlal Chauhan.

It is clear that the Police is giving more importance to Diwali celebrations than the criminal act of destroying crop worth Rs 5 lakhs. “I have taken loans to farm the broad beans. My family runs on this income. Every year, I earn around Rs 2 lakh on which my family survives. This year, I don’t know how I will pay off the debt. It is my request to the administration to investigate the matter and serve justice,” concludes Sudham Rikiason.