Fresh violence over a long-running land eviction dispute has rocked Assam’s Karbi Anglong region, leaving two people dead, dozens injured, and prompting the state government to suspend internet services and impose prohibitory orders as authorities scramble to restore calm amid escalating protests.
Police said several houses, shops and public properties were vandalised or torched in parts of Kheroni and nearby areas as the situation appeared to spiral out of control. The unrest later spread to Dongkamokam, Ronghang’s constituency, where protesters marched to his ancestral residence and set it ablaze.
Here are 10 latest updates on the unrest in Assam:
- Internet services were suspended in Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong districts of Assam after fresh violence erupted during protests linked to an eviction drive, officials confirmed on Tuesday.
2. At least two people were killed and 45 injured, including 38 police personnel, as clashes broke out between two groups of protesters in the Kheroni and Dongkamukam areas, prompting police to resort to lathi-charge and tear gas.
3. The violence is rooted in demands for eviction of alleged encroachers from Village Grazing Reserve (VGR) and Professional Grazing Reserve (PGR) lands – areas protected under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to safeguard tribal land rights.
4. Protests escalated after nine hunger-striking agitators were picked up by police for medical treatment, triggering rumours of detention that fuelled public anger and mass mobilisation.
5. On Monday, the ancestral residence of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) chief Tuliram Ronghang was set on fire by protesters, while several shops, motorcycles and public properties were vandalised.
6. Authorities imposed Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), banning gatherings of five or more people, rallies, torch processions, use of loudspeakers, and restricting movement between 5 pm and 6 am.
7. The Assam Home and Political Department said internet services were suspended to prevent the spread of rumours and inflammatory content, while allowing voice calls and fixed-line broadband to remain functional.
8. Inspector General of Police (Law & Order) Akhilesh Kumar Singh said peaceful talks were underway and urged people to pursue grievances through legal means, warning against taking the law into their own hands.
9. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he was closely monitoring the situation, announced deployment of additional security forces, and expressed condolences to families of those killed.
10. The agitation highlights a long-standing land dispute in the Sixth Schedule hill district, with protesters alleging encroachment of over 7,184 acres of protected land – an issue complicated by ongoing cases in the Gauhati High Court, which have stayed eviction drives.
(With inputs from Biswa Kalyan Purkayastha)