Guwahati/Diphu | Saturday, December 27, 2025
The hill areas of West Karbi Anglong in Assam are very tightly guarded today. This is because of the fighting that happened between different groups of people and the government last week. The people in charge say that a lot of security people including some ranking police officers, from Assam and some CRPF soldiers got hurt during the fights on December 22 and 23. There were 173 security people who got injured which’s a really big number. The West Karbi Anglong area is still not safe because of what happened. The security people are working hard to keep everyone in West Karbi Anglong.
Things are quiet for now because there are a lot of soldiers around. People are still really upset about who owns the land and who is moving into the area. The issue of land rights is a deal and the fact that new people are coming to live in the area is making a lot of people angry. This anger is not going away it is just not showing now because of the soldiers. The problem of land rights and people moving in is still a problem, for the people who live there.
Chronology of the Conflict: From Protest to Pyre
Things got really bad in the Phelangpi area on December 22 2024. This happened after a peaceful hunger strike by the protesters went on for 15 days and then took a turn. The people who were protesting were mostly, from the Karbi community. The Karbi tribal community people were saying that they wanted the illegal settlers to leave the grazing reserves away. The Karbi tribal community people were demanding this because they wanted the land to be used for what it was meant for.
The Spark: When the police tried to move the hunger strikers to the hospital because the hunger strikers were getting very sick people started talking on media that the leaders of the hunger strikers had been taken away by the police.
The Escalation: Thousands of protesters went out into the streets within hours. They attacked the home of Tuliram Ronghang. This is the man who’s the Chief Executive Member of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council. His home, which had been in his family for a time was set on fire. The Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council is very important, to him and the people who live there. The home of Tuliram Ronghang was set on fire on purpose.
The Ambush: Something bad happened in the Kheroni region. Security forces were attacked with stones, slingshots and traditional bows and arrows. The security forces in the Kheroni region were caught off guard. Some important people, like the Director General of Police and an IGP-rank officer got hurt during the fight. The Director General of Police and the IGP-rank officer were, among those who were injured in the Kheroni region.
The Core Issue: Understanding VGR and PGR Land
At the heart of this unrest lies a complex dispute over Village Grazing Reserves (VGR) and Professional Grazing Reserves (PGR).
The Legal Status of these lands is that they are protected under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. This is done so that the KAAC can manage these lands for the benefit of the tribal communities and their livestock. The local tribal communities and their livestock really benefit from the KAAC managing these lands.
Tribal groups say that a lot of people who’re not from the tribes often called outsiders from other states and countries have taken over these lands without permission over the years. The tribes are talking about thousands of families who have moved in and are living on the land that belongs to the tribes. Tribal bodies are making allegations, about this. They are saying that these people have been doing this for decades.
The Legal Deadlock: In 2024 the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council or KAAC sent out notices to tell almost 2,000 families that they had to leave their homes. But the families did not want to leave so they went to the Gauhati High Court for help. The court said that the families could stay for now and this made the KAAC wait. The tribal community, the KAAC thinks that the court is taking long to make a decision and they think the state government is not doing a good job of protecting the land rights of the indigenous people, the tribal community. The KAAC and the tribal community are still waiting to see what will happen next, with the land rights of the people the tribal community.
Human and Material Toll
The violence has really made a mess of things across the district. It is very sad to see what the violence has done to the district. The violence has caused a lot of problems. The district will never be the same because of the violence.
Casualties: Two people died. One of them was a protester from a tribe, Athik Timung, who died when the police took action. The other person who died was a shopkeeper, Suresh Dey, who was not, from a tribe. He died when a crowd set his shop on fire in Kheroni Bazar.
Injuries are a concern. Out of the 173 security personnel who got hurt 33 security personnel are still in a bad state. These 33 security personnel are being treated in hospitals, in Guwahati and Diphu.
Infrastructure is really bad because of the fires. The fires destroyed dozens of government vehicles. They also destroyed private homes where people live. An entire local market was destroyed by the fires too. This means that the market where people buy things is gone because of the fires. The fires really hurt the infrastructure.
Government Response & Security Measures
The Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma says things are really bad now. He is asking everyone to get along, with each other.
The administration has done a things to help these are:
Internet Blackout: The mobile internet services are still not working in Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong. This is because the authorities want to stop people from sharing Internet content that can cause trouble. They do not want this kind of Internet content to spread and create problems. So the Internet services, on phones remain suspended in these areas.
Section 163 BNSS has something called Prohibitory orders, which used to be known as Section 144. These orders do not let than five people gather together at one place. The idea behind Section 163 BNSS and its Prohibitory orders is to avoid crowds. So according to Section 163 BNSS you cannot have than five people, in one spot.
On December 26 something big happened. There was an important meeting between the State Government, the KAAC and some tribal organizations. The government said they will do everything fast to finish the court case in the High Court. They want to solve the problem with the “stay order” that is stopping people from being evicted from their homes. The State Government and the KAAC and these tribal organizations are talking about this issue. The State Government wants to help with the “stay order”, on evictions.
Historical Context: The Fight for Identity
Karbi Anglong has a lot of problems with groups of people not getting along and some people wanting to be in charge. The people who live in the hills are worried that they will not have land. This is a deal for the Karbi people who have lived in these hills for a very long time. They are scared that they will be outnumbered by people in their own homeland. This latest fight is one part of a bigger struggle for the Karbi people to keep their identity have control, over their own area and preserve their traditional way of life. The Karbi people are worried that many other people are moving into their area and this is threatening their way of life and their Karbi heritage.
Conclusion: The Road Ahead
The situation in Karbi Anglong seems quiet now.. Do not be fooled by this calm. The army and paramilitary forces being there has stopped the fighting for now.
However the real solution to the problem is to have a policy about land. The government needs to make sure that the people who have lived in Karbi Anglong for a time have their rights respected. At the time the government must protect the rights of the tribal people who live there as stated in the constitution.
Until the government can find a balance between these two things Karbi Anglong will remain a place where trouble can start easily. The Karbi Anglong issue is not solved yet. The land policy is the key, to solving it. The government needs to work on this land policy for the people of Karbi Anglong.
Peace in the hills is essential for the overall prosperity of Assam. All eyes are now on the Gauhati High Court’s next hearing and the state’s plan for a peaceful resettlement or eviction process.
