Police attacked in Alipurduar...2 PERSONS, INCLUDING A POLICE CONSTABLE, WERE INJURED. THE RAF HAS BEEN DEPLOYED

HT, 24 September, DARJEELING: Unrest over a garbage dumping ground escalated on Saturday with a mob attacking a police contingent and vandalising a police vehicle in Alipurduar district of North Bengal.

Two persons, including a police constable, were injured. Rapid Action Force was deployed to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control. The incident occurred at Bairaguri a few km from the National Highway 31C towards Gas Godown on Saturday. Local residents put up roadblocks and stopped the garbage dumper of Alipurduar Municipality from dumping garbage in a vested land that had been allocated by the district administration to be used as a dumping ground.

A police contingent led by the sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) and the inspector in charge of the Alipurduar Police Station arrived to take stock of the situation. “As no one was coming forward for talks, the police invited some local residents who were demonstrating. Meanwhile, some unknown miscreants started pelting stones at the police contingent and vandalised a vehicle. We will initiate action against the miscreants for preventing government officials from discharging their duty,” said Avary Rabindranath, Superintendent of Police, Alipurduar.

The SDPO’s vehicle was damaged. Sanjay Barman, a police constable, was injured along with Bireswar Roy, a local villager. Till the report was filed unrest continued with RAF being deployed. “The situation is under control but we are keeping a close watch,” said the SP.

Incidentally, the Alipurduar Municipality does not have land where garbage can be dumped. One month ago the district administration had allotted a five-and-a-half acre government vested land under Banchukamari Gram Panchayat area under Alipurduar 1 Block. Local residents, however, had prevented the municipality from dumping garbage on this land.

Finally on Thursday the district administration reallocated the dumping land to the present address under the same gram panchayat. On Friday dumping was initially halted by villagers but with the police intervening, the operation again started.

“We are apprehensive of the breakout of disease owing to this garbage dump. We do not want it here. We will not allow dumping,” said Pratima Barman, local resident.

The chairman of Alipurduar municipality blamed opposition parties. “Opposition parties and land sharks are instigating locals to create unrest. They don’t want the municipality to get land where garbage can be dumped. There are no household nearby and it will not cause health problems. We will have to dump garbage in whichever plot of land the district administration allots for this purpose,” said Asish Dutta, chairman of TMCrun Alipurduar Municipality.