Mobile internet back in Karbi Anglong districts; prohibitory orders continue
Congress leaders visit families of Karbi Anglong violence victims, accuse BJP-led govt of negligence during unrest
Shops reopening and people stepping out to purchase essential items in Kheroni (Photo: AT)
Guwahati/ Diphu, Dec 28: Mobile internet services in violence-hit Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong districts of Assam were restored on Sunday following an improvement in the law and order situation.
An order issued by Ajay Tewari, Additional Chief Secretary of the Home and Political Department, stated that the earlier suspension of mobile internet services was revoked from 8 am on Sunday.
All mobile service providers operating in the two districts were directed to resume services.
The notification noted that the law and order situation in the districts had “improved and normalised”, and that there was no further apprehension of a breach of public peace and tranquillity for the time being.
An official in Diphu said normalcy was gradually returning to the affected areas, with shops and other business establishments reopening and people stepping out to purchase essential items.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders and workers, including Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) secretary Bitupon Saikia and West Karbi Anglong District Congress president Augustine Inghi, visited the residences of victims of the Karbi Anglong violence on Saturday.
Accompanied by former ministers, the Opposition leaders first visited the family of Suruj Dey, a specially abled youth who was allegedly burnt alive during the violence in Kheroni.
They later visited the residence of Liunus Phangchu, who died after sustaining injuries during police firing, to pay their respects.
While mourning the deaths, the Congress leaders condemned what they described as negligence on the part of the BJP-led state government and held it responsible for the incidents.
On Sunday, strict security vigil continued across both districts, with security forces deployed in the worst-affected areas.
Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNSS) continue to remain in force, officials said.
Earlier, a tripartite meeting was held on December 26 involving the state government, the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) and protesters. During the meeting, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma assured the agitators that the government would approach the Gauhati High Court seeking an early order on the stay imposed on eviction drives in grazing lands in both districts.
Police said that at least 173 security personnel from the Assam Police and the CRPF were injured during the violence.
The unrest stemmed from tensions between indigenous Karbi groups and migrant communities, largely from Bihar, over alleged encroachments on Village Grazing Reserve (VGR) and Professional Grazing Reserve (PGR) lands in tribal belts by Hindi-speaking settlers.
An eviction attempt had earlier been initiated last year, but was stayed after a petition was filed before the Gauhati High Court, which issued an interim order halting the process.
With inputs from PTI