Karbi Anglong unrest in Assam (PTI photo)
NEW DELHI: Assam DGP Harmeet Singh on Wednesday confirmed that the Army has been deployed to restore law and order in violence-hit West Karbi Anglong, news agency PTI reported.The region has now entered its third day of violent protests over alleged illegal settlement by non-tribals in the constitutionally protected Karbi Anglong hill area. The clashes have left two people dead and dozens injured. In response, the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government has imposed curfew-like restrictions and suspended mobile internet services in two districts to control the situation.Assam CM Himanta said the Karbi people’s demand to evict alleged Hindi-speaking encroachers from grazing lands cannot be acted upon immediately, as the matter is currently under a stay order issued by the Gauhati high court.The violence in West Karbi Anglong and the neighbouring Karbi Anglong district began after long-standing tensions over land rights escalated into clashes between tribal protesters and security forces. Police said one tribal protester died during police action, while a non-tribal man was killed in a fire that destroyed several shops in Kheroni, a small trading town that has now become the centre of the unrest.Assam DGP Harmeet Singh said that 48 police personnel, including senior officers, were injured when protesters armed with bows, arrows, crude bombs and stones attacked security forces. Both the DGP and IGP (Law and Order) Akhilesh Kumar Singh were among those hurt. According to police, the protesters tried to take control of a bridge, and the situation turned violent when security forces stopped them. “They tried to take over the bridge, and when we intervened, they attacked us. Crude bombs and stones were thrown. I was hit with bows and arrows,” the DGP said. He added that police have video evidence and will take legal action against the attackers.The protests stem from claims by the Karbi community that non-tribal settlers have illegally encroached on professional grazing reserve and village grazing reserve lands. These districts come under the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, governed by the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which gives tribal areas control over land, forests and local governance to protect indigenous communities. For over a year, residents have been demanding the eviction of alleged encroachers, saying unchecked settlement threatens tribal land rights.
