Land encroachment, identity, and more: What lies at the centre of Karbi Anglong unrest?

Assam also has a history of Karbi insurgency, where many Karbi organisations demanded a separate state, and the movement was marked by killings, ethnic violence and abductions.

Flames billow out from an area following violent protests over the demand for evictions of illegal encroachers from the VGR and PGR lands in the hilly district, in Karbi Anglong on Tuesday. (ANI Video Grab)

Of late, tensions have flared up in Kheroni, located on the edge of West Karbi Anglong. Along with the Karbis, the area has large settlements populated by Biharis, Bengali Hindus and Nepalis, on what are said to be PGR (Professional Grazing Reserve) and VGR (Village Grazing Reserve) lands. The local elected member of the KAAC, from the Kopili constituency, is a Bihari leader named Pawan Kumar.

The current tensions can be traced back to an incident nearly two years ago, when a group representing the Hindi-speaking Nonia community, called the Rachnatmak Nonia Sanyukta Sangh, submitted a memorandum to President Draupadi Murmu in January 2024. One of their demands was the legalisation of these settlements in West Karbi Anglong.

“We strongly urge your support for the protection and recognition of land rights for settlers on VGR and PGR land in West Karbi Anglong district, Assam, who settled before 2011. Ensuring their legal rights and socio economic stability is of paramount importance,” stated the memorandum.

This demand sparked unrest in the region, which has long been dealing with demographic anxieties, leading to calls to evict people from the PGR and VGR lands. After meetings with sitting and former autonomous council members, MLAs, MPs, representatives of student bodies, other organisations, and political parties, KAAC Chief Executive Member Tuliram Ronghang announced in February 2024 that evictions would be carried out.

What are PGR and VGR lands?

PGR (Professional Grazing Reserve) and VGR (Village Grazing Reserve) refer to tracts of land set aside for livestock grazing, with some dating back to the British era. They are aimed at providing a fixed source of fodder for animals and helping the communities dependent on them.

Keeping VGR and PGR lands free from encroachment has been a part of the state’s land policies, with official memorandums issued specifically for their protection. Along with other government lands, including Reserved Forest land and khas land, they have seen widespread evictions of encroachers across Assam — something which has also been particularly mobilised by the current BJP-led state government in its rhetoric against Bengali-origin Muslims.

While announcing the decision to conduct evictions in the PGR and VGR lands, spread over 7,000 acres and housing around 2,000 families, the KAAC invoked the Supreme Court’s judgment in Jagpal Singh vs the State of Punjab & Others. It ordered states to prepare for the removal of illegal and unauthorised occupants on village common lands and their restoration to the Gram Sabha for common use.

People at a vandalised area following violent protests at Kheroni, in Karbi Anglong district, Assam, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (PTI Photo)

Why does the issue remain contentious?

Following the KAAC announcement, three separate writ petitions were filed by a total of 339 residents of the concerned areas in the Gauhati High Court, challenging the eviction. While one of the petitions, filed by 22 residents, claims that they have been occupying the land for 60 years, the other petitions argue that the lands are not PGR/VGR lands at all.

Ordering an interim stay on action against the petitioners while the cases are being heard, the Gauhati High Court directed the KAAC to file an affidavit on whether the lands are indeed PGR/VGR lands. However, to date, the KAAC has not presented its stand. In September 2024, the court recorded that the counsel for the KAAC had submitted that they found it difficult to do so, because the land notification was from 1933 and that the council was “trying to locate the same.”

Earlier this month, nine people undertook a “fast unto death” for more than two weeks at Phelangpi in West Karbi Anglong, demanding the evictions. The current tensions flared up when police removed the protestors from the site in the early hours of Monday (December 22), saying that they were taken to Guwahati for medical examination, which caused panic and anger.

The state government and the KAAC have responded to pressure to act by citing the HC’s stay orders. This has failed to placate the protestors. They claim that the orders do not apply to the remaining residents who have not approached the court, and accuse the government of reluctance, alleging that the Bihari and Bengali population there are a “votebank” for the BJP.