Guwahati, Jan 1: Opposition parties in Assam on December 31 called on the state government to make the rehabilitation of families affected by the recent violence in West Karbi Anglong district an immediate priority. Submitting a joint memorandum to Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya, leaders from the Congress, CPI(M), Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, the All Party Hill Leaders Conference and other political groups demanded comprehensive relief measures and financial compensation for the families of the two persons who were killed during the unrest.
In the memorandum, the opposition stressed that relief efforts must go beyond immediate assistance and focus on restoring livelihoods. They urged the government to provide employment opportunities, skill development programmes and priority access to short-term loans for affected families. The document also called for the rebuilding of damaged community infrastructure, including schools, roads and bridges, to help normalise life in the violence-hit areas. Compensation, it said, should be extended to both tribal and non-tribal families for loss of life, injuries, destruction of property and disruption of livelihoods.
The violence, which broke out in the Kheroni area, was triggered by simmering tensions between Karbi and non-tribal residents over allegations of encroachment on village and professional grazing reserve lands. The clashes resulted in the death of two people—one in police firing and another who was burnt alive—and left more than 180 individuals injured, including a large number of security personnel deployed to control the situation.
Beyond relief and rehabilitation, the opposition parties demanded a high-level judicial inquiry into the incidents to ascertain responsibility for the breakdown of law and order. They also sought the suspension of the chief executive member of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, alleging attempts to destroy evidence linked to the violence. A joint opposition delegation that visited the affected villages and met families of the victims accused the administration of failing to manage the crisis effectively and claimed that the clashes were not spontaneous but the result of a deeper political conspiracy.
