Violence Erupts in Assam as Protests Against Hindi Speakers Escalate
Protests Turn Violent in Assam
In a troubling incident on Monday, a mob in the West Karbi Anglong district of Assam set ablaze the ancestral residence of Tuliram Ronghang, a prominent leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party and head of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, according to a district official.
In response to the unrest, local authorities have imposed a ban on public gatherings in both Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong districts under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita until further notice.
For nearly two weeks, members of the Karbi community have been engaged in a hunger strike, demanding the removal of Hindi-speaking individuals from Kheroni, a town located approximately 25 kilometers from Dongkamukam, where Ronghang's residence is situated.
The protesters are specifically calling for the eviction of Hindi speakers from village grazing reserves and professional grazing areas.
On Monday morning, Assam Police apprehended seven individuals, including women, at the hunger strike site, which sparked further protests later that day, culminating in the destruction of Ronghang's home, as reported by a local resident.
Reports indicate that four individuals, including a police officer, sustained injuries when security forces fired upon the demonstrators.
A police official present at the scene noted that a crowd of approximately 800 to 1,000 people breached police barricades.
“They hurled stones at us,” the officer stated, adding that several police personnel, including the superintendent, were injured during the chaos.
Pawan Kumar, a member of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, reported that protesters attempted to set fire to his home and vandalized a vehicle. “They tried to ignite the house, but security forces intervened,” Kumar explained.
The Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council is a self-governing entity established to oversee the Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong districts under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, currently led by the BJP.
The Karbi community ranks as Assam's third-largest tribe, making up 11.1% of the state's tribal population of 3.88 million, following the Bodo and Mising tribes.
In February 2024, the council directed officials to evict over 2,000 families from grazing lands in Assam's hills, claiming they were unauthorized occupants. Most of those affected were Hindi-speaking individuals from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
This action followed a series of protests by Karbi civil society groups against the Hindi-speaking demographic in the area. A violent incident occurred on February 15, 2024, in Kheroni, when members of a Karbi student organization were reportedly attacked by Hindi speakers.