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From courts to politicians, bulldozer under attack in Assam, Tripura

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Besides other parts of the country, the BJP’s bulldozer politics has also drawn severe criticism both from the political spectrum and the courts in the northeastern states specially in Assam and Tripura.

During his recent three-day (May 8-10) visit to Assam, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that 10,700 bighas encroached upon by infiltrators have been freed.

The Assam government has also cleared over 3,800 hectares of forest land of encroachments during the past few years.

Before Assam’s BJP led government’s eviction drive, the saffron party led Tripura government after coming to power in March 2018 bulldozed a large number of opposition party offices across Tripura.

The Assam government had last year undertaken eviction drives in different districts to free government land encroached by hundreds of people for years. Various opposition parties including the Congress had criticised the BJP government for evicting the people without making alternate settlements.

In one of the violent eviction drive, two persons, including a 12-year-old boy, were killed while 20 others were injured after a mob clashed with the police in Darrang district on September 23 last year.

A video of the clashes, which went viral, also showed a photographer engaged by the Darrang district administration stomping on the body of a man shot by the police.

The eviction drive was launched by the police and the district administration to vacate 4,500 bighas (602.40 hectares) of government land, allegedly encroached upon by several hundreds of Bengali-speaking Muslim families in Darrang district.

Hearing a public interest litigation filed by Debabrata Saikia, Leader of Opposition in the Assam Assembly, the division bench of the Gauhati High Court headed by the then Chief Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia (who was recently elevated to the Supreme Court) had termed the Darrang district incident as “a big tragedy and very unfortunate” and directed the state government to file a detailed affidavit in the matter.

“This was a big tragedy, very unfortunate. Those who are guilty, if at all, must be punished, no doubt about that. Khoon zameen par gir gaya (blood has been spilt),” the Chief Justice had remarked.

The court wanted to know whether the National Rehabilitation Policy is applicable in Assam, and directed the state government to file a detailed affidavit in the entire matter within three weeks.

The Assam government had ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident.

Assam government officials said that around 800 families of Bengali-speaking Muslims were unlawfully occupying about 4,500 bighas (602.40 hectares) of government land for many years and the government recently decided to use the land for agricultural purposes by removing the settlers.

Besides various opposition parties including the Congress and the Badruddin Ajmal-led All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), the All Minority Organisations Coordination Committee, which includes the All Assam Minority Students Union and the Jamiat-e-Ulema, among others, had organised a series of agitations against the eviction drive.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier claimed that the Popular Front of India (PFI) was involved in the Darrang violence.

Besides Sarma, other BJP leaders accused the migrant Muslims of encroaching upon a huge area in Assam.

Muslims comprise 34.22 per cent of the 3.12 crore population of Assam, of which 4 per cent are indigenous Assamese Muslims and the remaining are mostly Bengali-speaking Muslims.

Muslim votes are the determining factor in at least 30 to 35 seats out of Assam’s total 126 Assembly seats.

Of Assam’s 34 districts, 19 districts have 12 per cent or more Muslim population, and in six districts (out of these 19 districts), the Muslim population constitutes 50 per cent or more.

In Tripura, after the BJP government wrested power from the Left parties defeating the CPI-M led Left Front, it bulldozed 185 CPI-M party and Left trade union offices across the state alleging that all these party offices were set up on government land.

The BJP government had also demolished eight Congress party offices in different districts.

CPI-M central committee member Jitendra Chaudhury said that BJP governments across the country tried to enforce one party rule.

“The BJP not only bulldozed the physical structures of the opposition parties, they also bulldozing the society, mindset of the people, communal harmony and the democratic structures of the country. They are not maintaining the demarcation between the party and the government,” Chaudhury told IANS.

Supporting the BJP government’s stand and action, the party’s Rajya Sabha member Manik Saha said that the government has been doing its work as per the law.

“If any party or individual occupying the government lands and properties, these should be vacated by the law enforcing agencies. A few of our party offices were also removed in Tripura,” Saha, who is also the president of the BJP Tripura unit, told IANS.

After coming to power in the politically important Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC), the civic body led by Dipak Majumder evicted many hawkers from shops in the capital city.

Almost all opposition parties and civil society activists criticized the AMC’s action.

They argued that without making alternate arrangements and rehabilitation of the hawkers, the authority should not do this unilaterally.

Crime

Maharashtra: 49-Year-Old Driver Killed In Gas Cylinder Explosion At Welding Shop In Nashik; Case Filed Against Owner

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Maharashtra: A 49-year-old driver lost his life on Saturday evening in Panchavati, Nashik, after a gas cylinder exploded at a welding shop. The tragic incident occurred near Tapovan Corner, along the compound wall of the old bus depot, according to the Panchavati police.

The deceased has been identified as Ramnath Somvanshi, a resident of Swami Samarth Nagar on Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Road. Police said Somvanshi had visited the gas welding shop for work related to his vehicle’s registration number plate.

At the time of the incident, the shop owner was using a gas cutter to remove a tyre nut from a car. Shortly after switching off the cutter, the welding gas cylinder exploded, causing severe injuries to Somvanshi. Despite efforts to save him, he succumbed to his injuries.

Following a preliminary investigation, the Panchavati police registered a case under Section 106 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for causing death by negligence against the welding shop owner on Sunday night.

Officials stated that the shop owner failed to ensure adequate safety measures, despite working with hazardous and explosive materials. Although no arrest has been made so far, the accused has been issued a notice to remain present for further inquiry.

Police are continuing their investigation to determine the exact cause of the explosion and assess whether the safety protocols at the site complied with regulations.

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Crime

CBI Registers Corruption Case against Former Deputy GM of Ordnance Factory, Nagpur

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Nagpur, August 25, 2025 — The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a corruption case against the then Deputy General Manager of Ordnance Factory Ambajhari (OFAJ), Nagpur, along with a Nagpur-based private company, its proprietor, and other unidentified public servants and private individuals.

According to the complaint, the former Dy. GM allegedly set up a proprietorship firm while serving in office and manipulated tender conditions to award contracts to his own firm. The firm is reported to have submitted forged and false experience certificates to secure these tenders.

Investigators also revealed that the accused official was involved in multiple financial and banking transactions with the private firm using accounts held by him and his family members.

Following the registration of the case on August 25, 2025, the CBI carried out searches at four locations, including the office and residences linked to the accused. The operation led to the recovery of incriminating documents, digital records, and other material evidence.

The probe is ongoing, and authorities are scrutinizing the recovered evidence to trace the full extent of the alleged corruption and financial irregularities.

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Crime

Mumbai: Dadar Police Arrest 35-Year-Old Man For Molesting Woman On CSMT-Ambernath Fast Local

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Mumbai: The Dadar police have arrested a 35-year-old man for allegedly molesting a woman on a local train last week.

The incident occurred on a CSMT-Ambernath fast local on August 30. According to police, the 22-year-old woman was travelling in a general compartment when the accused, identified as Rajeev Gaud, allegedly touched her inappropriately. When the victim resisted, he reportedly made obscene gestures.

Gaud, who was under the influence of alcohol, was arrested after the woman filed a complaint. The case was transferred to the Dadar police for further investigation.

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