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GUWAHATI: Violent tribal protests against illegal non-tribal settlement in a constitutionally protected hill region of Assam left two people dead Tuesday – as Sixth Schedule protections and land rights ignited a volatile fault line. Assam DGP Harmeet Singh, IGP (law and order) Akhilesh Kumar Singh and 48 police personnel were wounded after crowds armed with bows, arrows, crude bombs and stones attacked security forces in West Karbi Anglong, a hill district bordering Meghalaya.Police said one tribal protester died in police action, while a non-tribal man died in a fire that gutted shops at Kheroni, a small trading town that has emerged as the epicentre of unrest. By evening, administration suspended mobile internet services indefinitely in West Karbi Anglong and adjoining Karbi Anglong district to prevent escalation. Voice calls and fixed-line broadband remained operational.The two districts are governed by Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) under Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which grants tribal regions autonomy over land, forests and local governance to protect indigenous communities. Residents have for over a year protested encroachment by non-tribal settlers on professional grazing reserve (PGR) and village grazing reserve (VGR) lands, demanding evictions.Tensions sharpened after members of Karbi community began a hunger strike on Dec 6. On Tuesday, clashes intensified after police shifted some fasting protesters to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital following health deterioration – a move agitators allegedly misunderstood.State cabinet minister Ranoj Pegu, who met protesters earlier at Kheroni, said the group agreed to call off the hunger strike and join tripartite talks on Dec 26 involving state govt and KAAC. “We assured the Karbi community that the govt is serious about land rights and other tribal issues,” Pegu said, adding that discussions would address “broader issues related to existence of Karbi community”.Despite the talks, shops and markets in Kheroni were set ablaze during the day. Police said an SIT was formed, videos were being examined and efforts were under way to trace the attackers.DGP Harmeet Singh, who was present on the ground along with the IGP, described a coordinated assault. “It was a proper attack by protestors. I was attacked with bows and arrows, which had to be blocked with shields. I was also hit by stones,” he said.Singh said protesters used gas cylinders to torch markets, hurling one at security forces. “Govt is ready to talk. Violence does not achieve anything. We have all the videos and faces. Legal action will follow,” he said, appealing to communities to restrain youths he said were “misguided and being misused”.Assam Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he was monitoring the situation and announced deployment of additional forces in Kheroni, located about 250km east of Guwahati. “It is deeply painful that two persons lost their lives during today’s unrest,” he wrote, offering condolences and assuring support for affected families.
