The West Karbi Anglong district of Assam has been boiling over for the past few days. This surge of violence resulted in more than 40 police officers getting injured, casting a shadow over law and order. The situation escalated with attacks on police using stones, arrows, and homemade bombs. Shops and homes were set ablaze, prompting the deployment of the army to maintain order.
This tension, stemming from a long-standing land dispute between tribal and non-tribal communities, has claimed two lives and injured at least 45 people, including 38 police personnel. The residence of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) chief and BJP leader Tulirang Ronghang was also set on fire.
Given the severity of the situation, Assam's Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's government suspended internet services on Tuesday and deployed a large number of security forces. Although the situation remained tense until Wednesday, it was reported to be under control.
According to reports, there have been no new incidents of violence. Additional security forces have been deployed in sensitive areas, and prohibitory orders remain in place.
But why did the violence erupt, and why does Karbi Anglong repeatedly become a flashpoint?
During the clash in the Kheroni area of West Karbi Anglong, protesters attacked the police with stones, arrows, and homemade bombs, injuring 38 to 58 police officers. The injured included senior IPS officers and the state DGP. Shops were vandalized, gas cylinders were dragged out and blasted, and market areas saw massive fires.
According to the Times of India, quoting Assam DGP Harmeet Singh, the police faced attacks from arrows, stones, and homemade bombs. On Tuesday, two deaths were confirmed. A youth from the Karbi community was killed during police action, while another deceased person from the Bengali community died during the arson in Kheroni market.
Source: aajtak
The Assam Tribune in Guwahati reported that deceased Bengali individual Suresh Dey was disabled. He was trapped in a building that was set on fire and burned to death. Meanwhile, the Karbi protester succumbed to injuries. The immediate cause of the violence was the police action against protesters on hunger strike.
Karbi organizations and other tribal groups had been on an indefinite hunger strike in Phalangpi, Kheroni, for more than two weeks. They demanded the removal of alleged encroachers from Village Grazing Reserve (VGR) and Professional Grazing Reserve (PGR) lands.
Late Sunday night, around 9 PM, after the protesters on hunger strike were taken into custody, tensions escalated quickly. The police stated that they were being taken to Guwahati for medical treatment due to deteriorating health. On Tuesday, as news of the detention spread, outrage engulfed tribal villages. Roads were blocked, vandalism occurred, and the situation rapidly snowballed into large-scale violence. The unrest further ignited when protesters set fire to the residence of KAAC chief Tuliram Ronghang in Dongkamokam, about 26 kilometers from Kheroni. According to several reports, Dongkamokam is also Ronghang's assembly constituency.
To disperse the crowd, police used aerial firing, tear gas, and rubber bullets, but violence persisted, spreading across Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong by Tuesday. To prevent the situation from deteriorating further, the Assam government suspended mobile internet and data services in these areas. The Home Department warned that rumors spread through social media might disrupt public peace and law and order.
The roots of this conflict lie in land rights under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides special autonomy and land protection to tribal areas like Karbi Anglong. The Sixth Schedule grants Karbi Anglong a special status to protect tribal rights, culture, and land control through autonomous councils.
Protesters allege that large tracts of VGR and PGR land have been illegally occupied by non-tribals, including people from outside Assam. Tribal organizations claim that continuous encroachment poses a threat to their land, identity, and livelihood.
Source: aajtak
Last year, the KAAC administration issued eviction notices to alleged encroachers, but these notices were challenged in the Guwahati High Court, resulting in an interim stay. This left the matter unresolved.
In the wake of the violence, heavy security deployment continues, and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and senior police officials are keeping a close watch on the situation. The Chief Minister is set to hold a meeting with all stakeholders, including the autonomous council, on December 26. However, officials remain vigilant, as there have been instances of violence reigniting after political leaders returned from the area.
The demographic composition of Karbi Anglong, the special rights granted under the Sixth Schedule, and the pending eviction dispute repeatedly make it prone to unrest. As one of Assam's largest districts, Karbi Anglong's tribal population is in the majority, with the Karbi community being the largest, followed by Dimasa, Garo, and Kuki tribes. According to the 2001 census, more than 55% of the district's population belonged to scheduled tribes. Here, land, identity, and political representation are deeply intertwined, and any action or inaction by the state can quickly lead to explosive situations.
While peace has returned to Kheroni, recent incidents underline the stark reality that until permanent solutions to land disputes and trust between communities are established, peace in Karbi Anglong will remain fragile. In view of the tension, internet services have been suspended in the area.
