A squatter stands in front of rows of demolished homes. Picture by Aranya Sen

A day after clashes between squatters and police left a constable dead and several cops injured, eviction of the Gobindapur rail colony was peaceful on Wednesday.

A large police contingent was deployed near Tollygunge station to prevent a recurrence of Tuesday?s violence. Apprehending trouble, Eastern Railways temporarily suspended services on the section between Ballygunge and Tollygunge.

?We were prepared to fight back any resistance, but nothing happened. The squatters voluntarily left the area. Nearly 90 per cent of the work is complete. The railways has initiated the process of erecting a barbed wire fence around the area once occupied by squatters,? said N. Ramesh Babu, deputy commissioner (south), who was one of the officers injured on Tuesday.

Workers of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation, Eastern Railways and the CESC started the drive on schedule, around 9.30 am, and carried on till late afternoon. Apart from 200 policemen, personnel of Rapid Action Force and the additional reserve were also pressed into service.

The family members of constable Mohammed Samsuddin Khan, who was killed in the violence on Tuesday, left the city for their hometown in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, for performing his last rites. Injured constable Randhir Kumar, admitted to the police hospital, was reported to be stable.

?The police commissioner was scheduled to hand over a grant of Rs 1 lakh to the victim?s family members on Wednesday. But he had to defer it. The commissioner will meet the family members once they return from Ghaziabad,? said a senior officer.