Assam eviction drive: mother of newborn bleeds and cries out in pain under open sky

Mahmodul Hassan(The Rational Daily): In a shocking incident, the mother of a newborn bled and cried out in pain with the baby under open sky after being evicted from the land they were living in. The woman gave birth to the baby a day before the eviction drive at Sarkebasti of Hojai district in Assam. The next morning, on Tuesday, the woman had to cry out under the open sky as she was left with no home after the eviction, that too in a moment of physical pain.

According to local journalists, following the order of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, the administration conducted an eviction drive from Saturday at the Sarkebasti area in Hojai district citing the reason that the people were residing there illegally. The evicted Sarkebasti village is located at the bordering area of Hojai, Karbi Anglong, and Dima Hasao district. The suffering woman was one among the members of 371 families evicted from the area. While speaking to The Rational Daily, a local journalist said that almost ‘2000 people’ in the area are now homeless after the eviction drive.

The ACF officer remained silent as journalists were seeking an answer as to why the administration is not helping the bleeding woman, at least to take her to hospital.

However, the local reporters present there on the spot helped the woman to reach hospital for avoiding further complications.

This incident has been described as a ‘violation of the rights of a newborn’s mother’. While condemning the conduct of administration, Dr. Indrajit Bezbaruah, a well-known writer, said,” Is it a crime to be born in a poor family. The baby’s father dreamt of a life on that land, was it a crime?”

“This incident indicates the violation of Right to Life under Article 21 of Indian constitution. It is a saddening conduct,” said Zahid Athar Laskar, a student of Law. While speaking to The Rational Daily, Mr. Basit Alam, Hojai district president of All Assam Journalist Union, termed it as an inhumane act.

While questioning the eviction drive, Jamir Uddin Talukdar, a freelance journalist, said,” If they are being evicted, why ain’t they rehabilitated? It is the duty of the government to rehabilitate the evicted families.”