Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court has reprimanded Assam police for bulldozing the houses of five families, who were allegedly involved in the arson of a police station in the Nagaon district in May.
Hearing a case pertaining to the demolition of the houses of five people accused of setting the Batadrava police station in Nagaon district on fire, Gauhati High Court Chief Justice R.M. Chhaya said using excavators and bulldozers to demolish houses “in the guise of investigation” was not provided in any criminal law, The Hindu reported.
Reacting sharply, Chief Justice Chhaya said, “Even if a very serious matter is being investigated by an agency, permission is required for bulldozing a house. Will you dig up my courtroom in the name of the investigation if you say something is under the court? It seems nobody in this country is safe.”
“This is a democratic set-up. How can you do it (bulldoze)?” the Chief Justice asked, insisting “even Lord Macaulay would not have thought of” what the police undertook without any warrant.
Chief Justice Chhaya said Bollywood films are careful enough to show actors handing over notices or demolition orders before bulldozers are used.
“Such things (bulldozing as punishment) happen only in Rohit Shetty movies. Send your SP’s story to director Rohit Shetty. He can make a film on this,” he observed.
Leena Doley was the SP of Nagaon district when the houses of the five accused were demolished on May 22, less than 24 hours after an angry mob set ablaze the Batadrava police station.
The mob, comprising scores of women, had attacked the police station after a villager, a fish seller named Safikul Islam, 38, allegedly died in police custody for refusing to bribe the men in uniform.
One of the demolished houses belonged to fish trader Safiqul Islam.
Nagaon SP Leena Doley claimed police brought Safiqul to Batadrava police station on Saturday night after locals complained that he was lying drunk on a public road.
“When family members came to meet him, he fell ill after having some food. He was taken to hospital, but couldn’t be saved,” Doley claimed.
Additional DGP (law and order) GP Singh justified the demolition said saying that most of the people involved in the attack have built their houses by illegally taking over government land with forged documents.
Ashiqul Islam, one of the accused in the arson case died in police custody on May 30, apparently, run over by a police vehicle.