HT Correspondent
KHERONI, Dec 8: As eviction drives continue across several parts of Assam, a parallel demand for similar action has emerged in West Karbi Anglong, where a group of residents has launched an indefinite hunger strike seeking eviction of alleged encroachers from PGR and VGR lands.
The protest, held at Phelangpi, is led by Litsong Rongphar, who said he represents “a section of the indigenous, conscious public of Karbi Anglong” and is not affiliated with any organisation.
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The demonstrators are demanding immediate eviction from Professional Grazing Reserve and Village Grazing Reserve lands in the district, a longstanding issue among the Karbi community seeking protection of their “jati, mati, bheti.”
Speaking at the protest site, Rongphar questioned why issues affecting Karbi Anglong do not receive the same attention as those of the rest of Assam.
He said chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has justified eviction drives elsewhere as being carried out in honour of martyrs, and noted that Karbi people too have made sacrifices for the state.
Rongphar said that despite three years of protests, submissions of memorandums and facing coercive state action, no concrete steps have been taken.
He alleged that while evictions have taken place in other parts of Assam and encroachments cleared, the situation in Karbi Anglong remains neglected, leading to fears that the indigenous population is becoming a minority in their own district.
He added that Karbi Anglong “is no longer functioning as a protected Sixth Schedule area.”
Protesters accused both the Government of Assam and the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) of ignoring the issue.
They said the hunger strike would continue indefinitely until the authorities respond or give due importance to their demands.
