Fresh violence erupted in the Kheroni area of Assam’s West Karbi Anglong district on Tuesday, killing two people.
Mobs continued to clash with the police, vandalising and torching shops, setting fire to vehicles and throwing stones, bombs and arrows at the cops in the Central Assam district over the Karbi tribal people’s demand to evict “outsiders” from two types of government lands – village grazing reserves (VGRs) and professional grazing reserves (PGRs).
Despite the imposition of Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), violence had broken out in Kheroni, which is about 190 km southeast of Guwahati, on Monday.
One of the victims was a person with disability – a non-tribal – who was charred to death after he got trapped inside a building that was set ablaze. The other victim was a tribal protester who succumbed to his injuries during the clash.
Assam chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, confirmed the deaths, saying they were “deeply painful”, and that he was closely monitoring the situation in the district as well as in Karbi Anglong further east, which is governed by the tribal Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC).
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“Additional security forces will be deployed in Kheroni tomorrow [on Wednesday] to maintain peace. We are in constant touch with all concerned to restore normalcy and resolve issues through dialogue… The government will stand with all affected families and provide all necessary support,” said Sarma.
On Monday, Assam’s Director General of Police, Harmeet Singh, had said 38 police personnel were injured in clashes with the protesters.
“They attacked us from two sides. Thirty-eight police personnel, including an IPS officer, were injured. I was hit on the shoulder,” he told journalists at Kheroni.
The DGP said the protesters had promised to not resort to violence, yet they had attacked shops and burst gas cylinders. “We were attacked with bombs, and one of our personnel was hit by an arrow. We are exercising restraint, firing only tear gas and rubber bullets,” he added and appealed for peace, saying legal action would follow if the violence was not contained.
Earlier on Monday, Sarma had said a rumour on some people being arrested by the police had triggered the violence. “The news spread that nine people on fast at Kheroni were arrested by the police on Sunday night. In reality, they were brought to Guwahati as their health condition had deteriorated,” he had said.
The state CM said his government was unable to act on the demand of the protesters as the matter was sub judice.
Meanwhile, the alleged settlers had filed numerous petitions in the Gauhati High Court to stay the eviction notices served by KAAC authorities.
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