Encroachers create ruckus, beat one for alleged extortion

HT Correspondent
NAGAON, Nov 9: The district administration and Forest department continued its massive eviction utmost peacefully for the second day at Langchipai and Bhetnola in Lumding reserve forest on Tuesday and freed several hectares of encroached land in the reserve forest.
During the drive, the administration and police as well as paramilitary forces evicted more than 108 houses of illegal settlers in the forest.
The illegal encroachers followed the advice of the district administration and had shifted from the forest before the administration executed the drive throughout the encroached forest area, sources added here.
Significantly, amidst the hassle free eviction, some encroachers who took shelter at some temporary tent at Janju area created a ruckus and assaulted a man for his alleged involvement in extortion for rehabilitation of the victims, sources added.
As per the allegation of some encroachers, one Rahmot Ali Laskar who was known as a nature activist in Hojai district, arrived at Janju area on Tuesday and allegedly tried to lure some of the encroachers by promising them the opportunity to harvest their crops in the evicted land and also told them that he would help them avail compensation from the government.
He asked them to pay him some money for that.
Meanwhile a mob of the illegal settlers went on a rampage and created ruckus there alleging that the same man had collected huge money from the victims to provide them  compensation as well as rehabilitation during the eviction drive carried out a couple of years back at Ambari near Karbi Anglong – Hojai district border area.
Learning of the aggressive behaviour of the encroachers, Rahmot Ali Laskar tried to escape from them and tried to flee by his vehicle.
While the mob chased him to catch him, his vehicle hurt a woman and the mob caught him immediately. He was beaten up and injured severely by the mob. In the meantime, some local scribes and security personnel rushed to the spot and rescued him from the mob, sources said adding further that police brought the situation under control and also admitted the injured woman and Rahmot Ali to a hospital for treatment.