Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the Congress MP openly encouraged encroachers and “land jihadis” to take over government lands.

“He didn’t realise that people can’t just settle down on forest land. But he [Rahul Gandhi] said encroachers will be rehabilitated  in the same place and provided houses,” Mr Sarma alleged.

“People got encouraged because of those kinds of speeches. This morning during an eviction drive, people started throwing stones and assaulted police personnel with weapons,” the chief minister said.

In the clashes 21 police personnel were injured and an encroacher was killed in police firing. Two more who were injured were hospitalised.

Goalpara District Commissioner Prodip Timung said forest guards and police personnel were attacked by alleged encroachers with sticks, and stones were hurled at them when they had gone to cordon off a part of the Paikan reserve forest, where an eviction drive was carried out on Saturday.

A case has been filed, Mr Sarma said.