Assam govt pays compensation to persons whose houses were demolished in Nagaon 2 years ago

The recipients of the compensation are Inamul Haque, Hifjur Rahman, Mojibur Rahman, Rafiqul Islam, Akkas Ali and the legal heir of deceased Safiqul Islam

The Assam government notified the Gauhati High Court on Wednesday that it had paid compensation to the people whose houses were destroyed by the government after they allegedly set fire to a police station in the Nagaon district of Assam in protest of the 'custodial' death of a fish trader, according to the victim's advocate. In the context of the suo motu public interest litigation (Case No.: PIL(Suo Moto)/3/2022), Zunaid Khalid, the victims' attorney, stated that the state government notified the HC that five individuals had received a total of Rs 30 lakh in compensation, while one individual is still awaiting payment. The five kutcha dwelling units at Batadrava that were bulldozed by the authorities each cost Rs 2.5 lakh, while the two pucca dwellings cost Rs 10 lakh apiece in Nagaon district.

Per a PTI report, Inamul Haque, Hifjur Rahman, Mojibur Rahman, Rafiqul Islam, Akkas Ali, and the surviving legal successor of the late Safiqul Islam are the receivers of the recompense. The payment to Safiqul's wife is deferred until the legal heir certificate is issued, as she has not yet received it. On May 21, 2022, a crowd set fire to the Batadrava police station in protest of the supposed death in custody of Safikul Islam (39), a local fish seller who had been apprehended by police the previous evening. One day later, firearms and drugs that were allegedly buried beneath seven houses, including Safiqul's and his relatives, were allegedly destroyed by district authorities. In November 2022, then Chief Justice R M Chhaya pulled up the Assam government over its action and wondered if "Tomorrow you need something, you will dig up my courtroom". "How can you do it? You can be anybody. Nobody is safe...under the guise of investigation if you pull down anybody's house," he had added.

The court then emphasised that even in cases when an agency is looking into a "very serious matter," "bulldozing of a house is not sanctioned under any criminal law." The Chief Justice went on to say that movies often depict such acts of house demolition, and even in those cases, the search warrant is displayed before the destruction. Judge Chhaya even likened the act of bulldozing dwellings to a "gang war" and requested that the home department come up with more effective methods for conducting their probe. The Assam government notified the High Court in January 2023 that the accused officials' houses would be demolished and that proper action would be taken against them. In light of this, the HC had ordered the state government to make up for the damages caused by the demolition.

(With Inputs from PTI)

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