Assam’s Karbi Anglong on the boil: 2 residents dead, 58 cops injured, internet snapped

The situation in Kheroni had appeared to calm down on Tuesday morning. The tension in these two tribal majority hill districts – which are under the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council – is connected to a hunger strike that was undertaken for the past two weeks by nine individuals at Phelangpi in West Karbi Anglong demanding evictions in PGR (professional grazing reserve) and VGR (village grazing reserve) lands – which include Bihari and Nepali families – in the council’s area, a long-standing demand by Karbi tribal bodies. The tensions flared after the protesters on hunger strike were taken away from the site on Monday, which police said was to give them medical treatment in Guwahati.

Following the escalation of violence in the area, the Home Department of the Assam government issued an order stopping internet and mobile data services in the districts with immediate effect, citing “serious apprehension that there might be a likelihood of breach of public peace and tranquillity”. As per the order, it is apprehended that “social media and internet may be used to further spread inflammatory messages, rumours, etc that may lead to further aggravation of the situation”.

On Tuesday, the area was visited by Cabinet Minister Ranoj Pegu. Following his visit, he said that the protesters had decided to call off the hunger strike. “I met members of the Karbi community in Kheroni Phelangpi, where they had been observing a fast unto death demanding, among other issues, evictions of the encroachments in Kheroni VGR/PGR. Following my appeal, the agitators agreed to call off their hunger strike and consented to a tripartite discussion involving the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council and the Government of Assam. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will chair the discussion on December 26,” he said. The violence flared up again after he left the area.