Opposition leaders in Assam on Wednesday said “prima facie” last week’s violence in Kheroni under West Karbi Anglong district was due to “serious administrative and policing lapses” and “reflects an inability to ensure timely protection of life and property in a particularly sensitive Sixth Schedule region”.
The district is under the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC), a Sixth Schedule area.
A seven-party Opposition delegation, led by leader of Opposition in the state Assembly from the Congress, Debabrata Saikia, made the claim in a representation to Assam governor, L.P. Acharya, whom the team met for around 40 minutes at the Raj Bhawan late in the afternoon.
“We have submitted a six-page representation detailing the findings of our visit to Kheroni on Tuesday, and our demands for restoration of peace in the affected district and adequate support to the affected tribals and non-tribals,” Saikia told The Telegraph.
Besides the Congress, the delegation had senior leaders of the Assam Jatiya Parishad, Raijor Dal, CPM, CPI, CPIML and the All Party Hills Leaders’ Conference (APHLC).
Assam has a BJP-led government.
The violence in Kheroni is linked to the protest organised by members of the Karbi “and other tribal groups” demanding the “eviction of alleged encroachers” from Village Grazing Reserve (VGR) and Professional Grazing Reserve (PGR) lands, the representation said, adding that the basis of these demands lies in Paragraph 3(1)(a) of the Sixth Schedule, which empowers the Autonomous District Council to regulate the allotment and use of land in the interests
of local inhabitants.
“Reportedly, Chief Executive Member (CEM) Tuliram Ronghang had requested a meeting with the Karbi Students’ Union and other individuals engaged in a 10-12 days hunger strike, to discuss matters on December 22. On the night of December 21, he organised a dinner party. During this dinner, he ordered the police to forcibly remove the protesters. Subsequently, at approximately 3am, the protesters were transported to Guwahati Medical College Hospital for health evaluations, despite the proximity of Diphu Medical College and Hospital and Nagaon Medical College to Gauhati Medical College,” the representation said.
It cited how tension escalated leading to unrest and a blockade at Kheroni which subsequently resulted in clashes between protesters and security forces and incidents of arson and damage to property at Kheroni on December 23 “beyond the original protest site”.
Two persons were killed and around 173 security personnel were injured in the violence. A day earlier, the residence of the KAAC CEM, Tuliram Ronghang, was torched by a mob seeking the immediate release of the protesters “forcibly” removed from the protest site. Ronghang, amidst the disturbances, “bulldozed his residence”, the representation said.
“The government kept insisting that the pending eviction in Karbi Anglong was on hold because of the court’s directions. However, government-mandated evictions in other areas occurred despite court orders to the contrary, thus, the tribal population in Karbi Anglong began to question the government’s intentions,” the representation flagged.
“Prima facie, the sequence of events demonstrates serious administrative and policing lapses and reflects an inability to ensure timely protection of life and property in a particularly sensitive Sixth Schedule region,” the Opposition parties
pointed out.
‘Strict protection’
The Opposition also asked the state government to ensure “strict protection of Sixth Schedule areas”, including VGR and PGR, which are government land. It also sought instruction to the government “to proceed with the pending legal proceedings to identify the PGR/VGR land and take measures to settle these
disputes”.
“Concurrently, the protection of life and property for non-tribals must be ensured, as stipulated by the constitution, with timely provisions for eviction and rehabilitation,” the representation said. During the delegation’s visit, the affected people reported that “no relief has been dispersed in accordance with the manual”. It has also demanded action against KAAC chief Ronghang and a judicial inquiry into the arson at his place,
among others.