Diphu: The situation remained tense but under control in two districts of Karbi Anglong in central Assam on Wednesday, with no fresh violence reported in the troubled areas, officials said.
Two persons were killed, and at least 45 others, including 38 police personnel, injured on Tuesday as fresh violence erupted in the Kheroni area in West Karbi Anglong district.
Assam Police DGP Harmeet Singh was hit on his shoulder during stone-pelting, while IG (Law and Order) Akhilesh Kumar Singh suffered injuries on his leg.
“As of now, the situation is under control. There was no violence throughout the night and this morning. However, it is very tense as the two warring communities started mobilising in small numbers at different places,” a senior official told the news agency.
After deploying five more CRPF companies in the area, security forces conducted a joint flag march in the morning, he added.
The Karbi and Bihari communities have been at loggerheads over allegations of encroachment on the Village Grazing Reserve (VGR) and Professional Grazing Reserve (PGR) in tribal belts by the Hindi-speaking people.
“In the morning, Karbi people gathered at Thelampi in Kheroni and took out a procession towards Dongkamukam. They reached the bridge over Kapili, while people from the other community were waiting on the other side. The police managed to convince one community member to return from there,” the official said.
Despite prohibitory orders in force, a large number of Bihari people, including women and children whose shops were burnt allegedly by those belonging to the Karbi community on Monday, came out on the streets on Tuesday, and a clash broke out with agitators using stones, sticks, rods, and bows and arrows.
“When police tried to pacify both sides, they were pelted with stones. I took a hit on my shoulder, and an IPS officer (Akhilesh Singh) was injured. At least 38 personnel have been injured,” Singh told reporters on Tuesday night. As the situation spiralled out of control, the police baton-charged and fired tear gas shells to disperse both groups of protesters.
At last, the police fired bullets at the protesters, killing one Karbi youth and injuring several others. On the other hand, one specially abled youth was burnt alive inside a shop in Kheroni area, which houses people belonging to Bihari, Bengali and Nepali communities apart from the Karbis.
The body of the 25-year-old Suresh Dey was recovered from a building that was set ablaze by the Karbi people, while Athik Timung from the indigenous tribe was killed in police firing.
Following a rise in violence, internet services in both Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong districts were suspended indefinitely on Tuesday for maintaining peace and tranquillity.