GUWAHATI: Protests continued in Karbi Anglong a day after a delegation of the Karbi Students Association (KSA) was assaulted by a group of miscreants at Kheroni in West of the district on Thursday evening.
As a mark of protest, all shops, and business establishments downed their shutters in all major towns of the two hill districts, including Diphu, Manja, Howraghat, Baithalangso and Kheroni for the second day on Friday.
The situation has forced the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) to call for an emergency meeting to review the status of Village Grazing Reserves (VGRs) and Professional Grazing Reserves (PGRs) at the conference hall of the Old Secretariat in Diphu on February 19.
The incident took place at Kheroni Chariali when some miscreants reportedly assaulted a group of activists of the Karbi Students Association (KSA), on their way from Donka.
They were returning from a demonstration organised by the Autonomous Stat Demand Committee Youth Front demanding Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) evict all Hindi-speaking people from PGRs and VGRs.
“The protest was peaceful and nobody resisted them. But when they returned from Donka, some miscreants attacked their vehicle. Five activists of the KSA were injured in the attack. The vehicle in which they were travelling was also extensively damaged,” said an eyewitness.
As a repercussion, the Karbi organisations forcefully closed shops and other business establishments throwing the life of the commoners out of gear.
All the major towns of the two hill districts – Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong, Diphu, Howraghhat, and Baithalangso – remained closed for the second day on Friday as Karbi organisations continued their protest demanding the eviction of all Hindi-speaking people from Kheroni PGR.
Assam director general of police (DGP) GP Singh said, “Reference scuffle at Kheroni, West Karbi Anglong District on February 15- a criminal case Kheroni PS case number 12/2024 under section 341/147/143/294/120B/153A 325/307/506/427 of IPC has been registered and 17 persons have been arrested till now.”
“We would not spare anyone breaking the law or indulging in disorderly conduct. All perpetrators of violence would be arrested and taken to task. Additional security measures, including pickets and increased patrolling, are being provided in the area to instil a sense of security amongst inhabitants of the region,” Singh added.
The protestors also blocked Howeraghat MLA Darsing Ronghang and KAAC EM (executive member) Amarsing Tisso for several hours, demanding assurance from KAAC chief executive member (CEM) Tuliram Ronghang that the Hindi-speaking people living in Kheroni PGR would be evicted.
Darsing Ronghang assured the protestors that the government would certainly take appropriate steps to evict illegal settlers from the PGR and VGRs of Karbi Anglong.
More than 70,000 Hindi-speaking people, mostly sugarcane growers, have been living in Kheroni since Independence.
The protest, organised by the Autonomous State Demand Committee Youth Front (ASDCYF) and KSA, aimed to address the demands of the Rachnatmak Nonia Sanyukta Sangh (RNSS) regarding land rights on PGR and VGR in West Karbi Anglong.
On January 17, during the recent visit of the President to Shillong, the RNSS submitted a memorandum, demanding the allotment of land pattas to the Hindi-speaking people living in VGR and PGRs in Karbi Anglong.
CEM Tuliram Ronghang said, “I express my anguish over the unfortunate incident that happened yesterday in Kheroni over the issue of PGR/VGR land where some youths returning from Dongkamukam to Diphu were attacked by some assailants, making them critically injured. I condemn the violence, the law will take its own course, and the culprits will be brought to book. I have convened a meeting on the 19th of this month with the stakeholders to discuss on the issue, and on the 20th with MP, MLAs, ex-MP, ex-MLAs, and all party leaders, to discuss the same. I request one and all to please maintain peace and harmony.”
The All Assam Bhojpuri Parishad, Karbi Anglong District Committee strongly condemned the attack on members of KSA activists in Kheroni and said such acts of violence have no place in society.
“We demand a swift and thorough investigation to identify the perpetrators of this attack and ensure they are brought to justice. Acts of violence not only harm individuals but also disrupt the harmony of our diverse community,” the student body said in a statement.
The All Karbi Anglong District Students Union (AKDSU) and Coordination Committee of All Tribal Organisations (CCTO) also condemned the assault and demanded the authorities to restore peace in society.
