Protesters in Assam’s Kheroni are demanding eviction of “foreigners” from government-designated grazing lands in West Karbi Anglong district. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
Protesters on Monday (Dec 22, 2025) set fire to the ancestral residence of the chief of the Assam Tribal Council for his alleged failure to evict “foreigners” from two categories of government-designated grazing lands.
At least three protesters were among four injured in clashes with security personnel at Donkamokam in West Karbi Anglong district of central Assam, where the Karbi tribe forms the majority. The place is 155 km south-east of Guwahati.
West Karbi Anglong and Karbi Anglong, located further east, are Sixth Plan areas governed by the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC), where the Bharatiya Janata Party is in power. The protestors marched 26 km from West Karbi Anglong’s Kheroni, where they went on hunger strike for a fortnight, demanding the eviction of “non-locals” who were allegedly occupying large tracts of village grazing land (VGR) and professional grazing land (PGR).
Kheroni area has been gripped by tension after police detained nine protesters on Sunday (December 21, 2025) night. This infuriated the protesters, who blocked roads and vandalized shops before proceeding to Donkamokam.
A pitched battle
The protesters alleged that security personnel used force and fired indiscriminate shots to disperse them. As one section of the mob engaged in a pitched battle with security personnel, another attacked the ancestral house of Tuliram Ronghang, the chief executive member of KAAC, and set it on fire.
A KAAC spokesman in Diphu, the council’s headquarters 100km east of Donkamokam, said Mr Ronghang was away at the time of the incident.
While the security personnel brought the situation in Donkamokam under control, the violence and arson targeting “foreigners” has reportedly spread to other parts of West Karbi Anglong district.
Considering the gravity of the situation, the state government has rushed additional forces to the violence-hit areas. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has instructed Education Minister Ranoj Pega to visit these areas and assess the law and order situation.
Legal obstacles
Later, Mr. Ronghang told reporters that his government was complying with the eviction request, but was hamstrung by legal hurdles. He said the KAAC administration served eviction notices to the settlers, but they challenged the notices in the Gauhati High Court.
“The case is in court. If I did anything, I would be punished for contempt of court,” he said.
In February 2024, KAAC issued eviction notices to about 10,000 people accused of occupying 7,184.7 acres of VGR and PGR in Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong districts. A large number of these people accused of infiltration are Hindi speakers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
Published – 22 Dec 2025 20:37 IST
