KAAC chief’s house torched over ‘arrest’ of protesters seeking eviction of illegal settlers, prohibitory orders clamped

Guwahati: Hundreds of protesters seeking immediate eviction of illegal settlers from professional grazing reserve (PGR) and village grazing reserve (VGR) lands set ablaze one of the residences of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) CEM Tuliram Ronghang at Kheroni on Monday.Following the incident, prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS, 2023 have been issued with immediate effect in West Karbi Anglong and Karbi Anglong districts.Thousands of people had been on hunger strike since Dec 6 at Phelangpi over the demand. However, the situation turned volatile following a rumours that some of the demonstrators were taken to Guwahati and arrested.The protestors initially staged a blockade at Kheroni bridge. Later, people from nearby villages joined the protest, bringing traffic to a standstill on a key route of the district, before reaching the residence and setting it on fire. Police resorted to blank fire and lathi charge to disperse the crowd at Kheroni.CM Himanta Biswa Sarma told the media, “The protestors were taken to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital for treatment after they fell ill. A rumour was spread that they were arrested. It was a misunderstanding.”He added that the demand to evict the illegal settlers from the PGR and VGR land is long pending. “But, there is an interim-judgment of the Gauhati High Court in the matter. Therefore, we cannot carry out the eviction. I think we will be able to solve the issue through discussions,” he said.The CM added that cabinet minister Ranoj Pegu and DGP Harmeet Singh have been instructed to rush to Karbi Anglong.Meanwhile, Tuliram Rangham said he was scheduled to hold a meeting with the protesters on Monday. Howevr, the situation turned violent after the rumour spread.A similar incident of violence was reported in Aug last year, when demonstrators attempted to storm KAAC headquarters over the same issue.