Karbi Anglong, Dec 22: Violence erupted in Assam’s hill district of Karbi Anglong on Monday after protesters set fire to the residence of Chief Executive Member of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC), Tuliram Ronghang, amid escalating agitation over alleged illegal land occupation.
At least three protesters were reported injured in the incident, along with a police personnel and a CRPF jawan deployed at the site. The situation deteriorated rapidly following the detention of hunger strike participants by the police late on Sunday night.
According to officials, nine protesters who had been on an indefinite hunger strike for the past 16 days at Fealgpi in the Kheroni area were detained by the police. Among those detained was Litsong Rongfar, one of the prominent faces of the agitation. The detentions triggered widespread anger among villagers and supporters of the movement.
On Monday morning, large numbers of people gathered at the hunger strike site in protest. As tensions mounted, demonstrators blocked roads and allegedly vandalised vehicles and shops in the area. A Pratidin Time reporter from the spot said the protesters later moved towards Dongkamokam, located around 26 kilometres from Kheroni. Dongkamokam is also the constituency from which Ronghang was elected to the KAAC.
Police attempted to disperse the crowd by resorting to blank firing, a move that reportedly further inflamed tempers. Following this, a section of protesters rushed towards Ronghang’s residence and set it on fire, prompting security forces to step in to control the situation.
The agitation centres on demands for the eviction of alleged illegal settlers from Village Grazing Reserves (VGRs) and Professional Grazing Reserves (PGRs) in and around Kheroni. Protesters have been calling for stronger safeguards for the indigenous Karbi people in the Sixth Schedule area, where land ownership and occupation by those outside the protected communities are prohibited.
The protesters have alleged that large tracts of land in the Karbi Hills have been encroached upon by outsiders, including people from outside Assam and non-Karbi communities. Authorities are yet to issue an official statement on the violence or the future course of action as security remains tightened in the affected areas.
