Guwahati: Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to initiate a magisterial probe against Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) chief executive member (CEM) Tuliram Ronghang for allegedly demolishing his ancestral residence a day after it was set ablaze by a mob.
The house of the Chief Executive Member (CEM), located under Donkamukam police station, was set on fire on Tuesday amid unrest linked to a prolonged agitation by several political and social organisations.
The groups have been on a hunger strike for the past 12 days, demanding the eviction of alleged illegal settlers from Professional Grazing Reserve (PGR) and Village Grazing Reserve (VGR) lands in Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong districts.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Saikia said the protests escalated after Ronghang invited demonstrators for talks on Monday afternoon, but later allegedly ordered police to forcibly remove them at 3am, shifting them to Guwahati Medical College Hospital instead of the nearby Diphu Medical College. The move reportedly aggravated public anger, culminating in the arson.
Saikia said Ronghang’s subsequent decision to demolish the charred house without conducting a forensic examination or obtaining judicial sanction amounted to a violation of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) protocols and raised serious concerns about the destruction of evidence.
The Opposition leader further alleged that the demolition could fall foul of relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, pointing out that there were no reports of forensic sealing of the crime scene, videography, or debris analysis to preserve potential evidence.
He argued that the haste in demolishing the structure could indicate an attempt to conceal documents or materials linked to alleged corruption.
Saikia also referred to earlier media and public reports alleging financial irregularities against Ronghang, including the purported embezzlement of KAAC funds, irregularities in land allotment, abuse of authority in development projects, and the misappropriation of PGR and VGR land. He said the demolition of the house could not be treated as merely incidental.
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He urged the Prime Minister to order a judicial or magistrate-led inquiry into the arson, the alleged destruction of evidence, and the role of the administration. He also sought the sealing of the site for forensic recovery, the suspension of Ronghang, and the registration of cases against those who authorised the demolition.
