West Karbi Anglong, a district of Assam, is once again in the news because of recurrent cases of clashes. Today, the main conflict location was the small town of Kheroni, situated in the district, among locals who demanded that people speaking Hindi should leave the area, and also people employing cattle for grazing should vacate the area. Violence was totally ended on Tuesday. The police broke the tension by using batons, tear gas, and rubber bullets, and overall there was a lot of stone-pelting.
The number of injured during the clashes includes eight civilians and thirty-eight police officers and Department of Police confirmed the injuries of the latter number and the former. Besides, the Director-General of Police stated he was hit by a stone during the outbreak after visiting the riot-affected spots. Top-ups have been made in order to cool off the situation.
To avoid more gossip and consequent confrontations, the Assam administration has temporarily shut down mobile internet services in the two districts, Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong. The government was specifically concerned with public safety when it invoked Section 5(2) of the 2017 suspension rules for the Indian Telegraph Act. The only form of communication that is still open is fixed-line broadband; there will be no voice calls or mobile data usage.
Authorities have made gatherings illegal under article 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. A night curfew in Karbi Anglong was placed restricting the movement of people from 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. Despite the prohibition, traders and citizens gathered in and outside Kheroni, the spot where the shops of traders who were burned a day earlier were set ablaze.
What led to the recent violence
It was the members of the Karbi community who launched the two-week-long hunger strike in order to get rid of the Hindi-speaking congested colonies, mostly from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and living on the grazing lands notified by the government. The Protestants claim these lands are meant to be for tribal use and they blame the administration for its passivity towards encroachment.
Things went from bad to worse when a crowd intentionally burned the old house of the incumbent chief executive member, Tuliram Ronghang, of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council on Monday. Also, fifteen shops and several vehicles were set on fire in Kheroni Bazaar. The police, however, announced that they could prevent the police station from being attacked.
On Tuesday, although restrictions were in place, two opposing groups headed to the Kheroni market and the vicinity of Zero Point. Violence broke out, the police fired tear gas to the protesters, and stones were thrown at the fighting sides, journalists, and police, injuring some of each group.
#WATCH | Unrest continues in Bangladesh as clashes between rival political groups leave several dead, deepening concerns over law and order.
DD India’s Navalsang Parmar, highlights rising political rivalry, attacks near Indian diplomatic premises, and growing insecurity amid… pic.twitter.com/eqU6408EUo
— DD India (@DDIndialive) December 23, 2025
Different approaches to eventual reconciliation
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma spoke of the situation being very delicate and stated the government was working to normalize the city. The senior minister Ranoj Pegu came to Kheroni on the Monday night and had a discussion with the participants. Mr. Pegu’s argument convinced the leaders of the procession to call off the hunger strike and enter into negotiations with the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council and the State Government.
The Chief Minister will orchestrate a process where all the three parties will sit and settle their differences. The government is also putting the message across that there is no harm in the delay, but the solution should come from dialogue and not through methods which may lead to problems in the society.
Extreme conflict and cultural markers accusing land misuse/scam
The confusion arose from an attempt on land historically supporting pastoral livelihoods. In 2014, out of such reserves, the Karbi Anglo Autonomous Council ordered they found nothing less than 2,000 families that should not be there, according to the allegations, have been put there by unauthorized means. The majority of non-tribal people among the affected people were non-tribal and a large number of people did not speak the local language.
However, that operation ran into trouble with the law. A lawsuit in the Gauhati High Court resulted in a temporary injunction pending further steps for eviction. The supporters have accused the government of this incident being the allowing of fresh encroachments, whereas the leaders of the community advance that competing claims can be realistically settled only through a justice and fair play process.
The council, a body under the Sixth Schedule, is the authority that controls in Karbi Anglong, and West Karbi Anglong with much freedom. Nevertheless, the recent clashes have brought the aspect of how to reconcile the constitutional protection of tribal areas with the rights and safety of non-tribal inhabitants.
Who is behind these communities?
The Karbis are the third largest tribal group in Assam, making up about 11.1% of the total tribal population in the state. For years, various civil society organizations in the area have been clamouring for stricter implementation of land protections under Sixth Schedule. They claim that the demographic balance and customary rights are under threat.
Non-tribal residents, many of whom are Hindi-speakers, say that they are not, as interlopers, supposed to be described like that. They also report that attackers targeted several shops and homes, and they require the authorities to provide the same protection and level of compensation for the losses.
Security arrangements and internet blackout clarified
The government justifies the suspension of mobile internet as a temporary move to keep the peace, prevent misinformation and eliminate stimulative content which could escalate tension. The order also mentions that those attempting to get around the restrictions might face legal action. District officials and mobile network operators must ensure the mobile internet suspension’s timing comes next.
The law-and-order situation is such that, on the one hand, police claimed that two motorcycles were burned on Tuesday, while on the other hand, one could see that a number of shops and properties of the non-tribal inhabitants living near Zero Point were set on fire. The primary aim of the deadly violence is to intimidate and target the public infrastructure.
Calls for restraint and the next action steps
In order to have less disturbing daily interviews, the opposition leaders and the local authoritative figures were some of the individuals out-front asking the government to act without any hesitation and with fairness in the case. Some speakers were in disbelief of the attack that was meant to burn down the council chief’s house and we’re at the same time calling for all sides to show restraint to prevent further harm.
Given the current situation in Kheroni and the problems in the surrounding areas, it is of utmost importance to make peace the priority, secure all the communities, and make sure that any steps taken are legal. The next rounds of talks will show whether talks can bring success and force and anger cannot.
