Tension flared in Assam’s West Karbi Anglong district on Monday afternoon as agitated protesters allegedly set fire to the private residence of Dr Tuliram Ronghang, chief executive member (CEM) of the BJP-led Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC), just hours before a scheduled meeting between him and the demonstrators.
At least 22 persons were injured in the incident, including 20 security personnel. Two protesters suffered bullet injuries in the leg when police fired to control the situation, the police said. The alleged arson followed weeks of unrest by residents from Jenkha under Kheroni police station limits, who had been on a hunger strike since December 6 demanding the eviction of alleged illegal settlers from professional grazing reserve (PGR) and village grazing reserve (VGR) lands in the area. The settlers are mostly Hindi-speaking people.
Tensions escalated after some hunger strikers were removed by authorities early Monday morning, sparking fears among protesters that they had been arrested. In retaliation, a group of protesters marched to Artukekang and allegedly set fire to Ronghang’s residence around 3pm, officials said. Hundreds of people gathered at the site, sources added. No member of the KAAC chief’s family was present at the residence during the incident. Another mob burnt five shops of non-tribal people around the same time.
In response to the violence, the administrations of Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, and enhanced security in sensitive areas, including Ronghang’s residence.
The twin districts have witnessed repeated tensions over demands for the removal of encroachers from grazing land over the last few years.
Speaking to reporters later in the day, Ronghang said the incident appeared to be a result of a misunderstanding. “A meeting with protesters was scheduled at 4pm. Some of the hunger strikers were taken to Guwahati for medical treatment due to deteriorating health, but others assumed they had been arrested,” he said, urging calm.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said state education minister Ranoj Pegu had been dispatched to the area to assess the situation. Sarma noted that there is a court-imposed stay on eviction of non-Karbi settlers and promised to meet the protestors himself.
“I believe we can find a resolution through dialogue. We cannot override the court’s orders,” he said.
Karbi Anglong falls under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, with land rights and related issues under the purview of the autonomous council, while the state government oversees law and order.
A resident of Kheroni said while some of the settlers have been living in the area for generations, there has been a steady influx, causing concern among locals over the protection of tribal land rights.
An official described the situation as “quite sensitive”, acknowledging that most of the settlers are Indian citizens engaged in agriculture.
In 2022, the state government had informed the Assembly that 9,286 individuals from 1,989 families were illegally residing on PGR land in Kheroni. As a consequence, the services of ten gaonburhas (village headmen) were terminated for enabling the encroachments.