Violence continued for the second consecutive day in Assam's West Karbi Anglong district on Tuesday as protesters demanding the eviction of non-tribals set fire to shops and vehicles, forcing the administration to suspend Internet and mobile data services to prevent further escalation.
The police resorted to firing tear gas shells and conducting lathi charges after protesters hurled stones at security personnel near a bridge over the Kopili river on the outskirts of the Kheroni area, where similar clashes were reported on Monday. Several police personnel were injured in the stone-pelting.
Fresh violence broke out in and around Kheroni market on Tuesday afternoon, shortly after Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu concluded talks with the agitators and announced January 3 as the date for a tripartite meeting involving Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Tuliram Ronghang, the chief executive member of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC).
Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong districts are administered by the KAAC, an autonomous council constituted under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. The Bharatiya Janata Party is in power in the council.
On Monday, protesters set fire to Ronghang's ancestral home.
Amid the unrest, non-tribal residents -- particularly from Hindi-speaking communities -- were seen staging counter-protests, demanding security.
The agitators, belonging to the Karbi tribe, have been demanding the eviction of non-tribals, particularly Hindi-speaking people with origins in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, from Professional Village Grazing Reserve (PVGR) and Village Grazing Reserve (VGR) land, which fall under protected categories of government land.
The demand intensified about two years ago when the BJP-led state government stepped up eviction drives against Bengali-speaking Muslims accused of occupying forest land, PVGR and VGR areas.
"Why are these illegal settlers not being evicted by the government despite our demand? The Karbis have been reduced to 35 per cent population due to such illegal settlers," a protester said.
A section of Karbi protesters has been on a hunger strike since December 6. Tensions flared on Monday after those on hunger strike were allegedly taken forcibly to a hospital in Guwahati, around 220 km away.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the state government and the autonomous council were unable to carry out evictions due to legal constraints.
"We cannot forcefully remove people out of Karbi Anglong. We don't like Bangladeshis but we can't beat and chase them away. So, we are trying to find a solution through talks," Sarma said on Tuesday, citing an interim order of the Gauhati high court against such eviction.
The Opposition Congress appealed to the agitators to maintain peace, while accusing the government of 'neglecting' the hunger strike that began on December 6.