GUWAHATI: Two persons were killed while over 45 others were injured as Assam’s West Karbi Anglong district remained on the boil for the second consecutive day on Tuesday with protesters rioting, torching and vandalising shops and houses of non-tribals demanding the eviction of "outsiders."
The protesters belonging to the Karbi community also attacked the police with bombs, stones and arrows at Kheroni. They demanded the eviction of outsiders from some village grazing reserves (VGRs) and professional grazing reserves (PGRs).
A differently abled man belonging to a non-tribal community was charred to death after he got trapped inside a building that was set on fire by the protesters. A protester who was gravely wounded in the violence also succumbed to his injuries.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he is "closely monitoring the situation" and that additional security forces would be deployed on Wednesday to maintain peace.
"It is deeply painful that two persons lost their lives during today’s unrest," he said in a post on X.
"We are in constant touch with all concerned to restore normalcy and resolve issues through dialogue," he said.
The incidents occurred even as prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS remained in force in the districts since Monday evening. The state government has temporarily suspended internet/mobile data services in the two districts.
Director General of Police Harmeet Singh, who has been camping in the district since Monday, told the media that 38 police personnel were injured.
“They attacked us from two sides. Thirty-eight police personnel, including an IPS officer, were injured. I was hit on my shoulder,” Singh said without explaining the nature of the injuries.
“They (protestors) had promised yesterday that they would not resort to violence. Today again, they attacked shops and burst gas cylinders. We were attacked with bombs. One of our personnel was hit by an arrow. We are exercising restraint. We fired only tear gas and rubber bullets,” he further stated.
He appealed for peace but warned that if the violence continued, legal measures would be taken.
The violence had subsided on Monday night when he and the state’s education minister Ranoj Pegu, visited the areas. Pegu had managed to persuade the protestors to end their fortnight-long hunger strike, assuring them of dialogue on their demand.
"We are holding discussions with both protestors and the encroachers,” he had told the media before leaving the place.
However, violence broke out again on Tuesday, soon after the minister left the area.
The protestors had on Monday torched the ancestral residence of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) Chief Executive Member Tuliram Ronghang, after news spread that nine persons taking part in the hunger strike at Kheroni were arrested by the police on Sunday night.
Later, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma clarified that they were taken to Guwahati as their health condition deteriorated.
On Monday morning, after briefly blocking a road and vandalising shops, a large number of protestors proceeded to Donkamokam, which is the constituency of Ronghang located 26 km away, to stage a demonstration.
However, security personnel used force, firing blank shots to disperse the protestors. Even as the standoff continued, a few alleged protestors set fire to Ronghang’s house and it was gutted.
West Karbi Anglong, as well as Karbi Anglong, falls under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, where land is protected for indigenous tribal communities. The protesters alleged that vast swathes of land in VGRs and PGRs in West Karbi Anglong had been encroached upon by outsiders.
Last year, the KAAC administration had served eviction notices on the “illegal” settlers, but they moved to the Gauhati High Court challenging the notices. Later, the court issued an interim stay on eviction.