Lax policy enforcement blamed for Karbi unrest

ASSAM’S Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) appears to be going around in circles, perhaps because it sits at the intersection of identity politics, land control and migration.

- PRASANTA MAZUMDAR @Guwahati

Some cite “faulty” policy decisions as the reason behind the trouble in the Karbi hills. If Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that trade licences issued to non-tribals, allegedly in professional grazing grounds (PGRs) and village grazing grounds (VGRs), would be cancelled, the licences were ironically issued by the council itself. While policies aim to protect tribal lands, the lack of surveys and transparent land records have created a grey zone. Many non-tribals have been living in the Karbi areas for decades, yet they feel insecure and targeted.

A burst of violence in the Kheroni area of West Karbi Anglong district in December saw houses of non-tribals being burnt and shops vandalised and looted. The violence-displaced people, many of them anguished over lost livelihoods, have started returning home but fear lingers. There are concerns also among members of the Karbi tribal community over encroachment of government land and rising non-tribal population in their areas. The matter of eviction in Kheroni is sub-judice and the state government is expecting an early direction from the court.

The controversy

Located in the hilly-foothill zone and marked by patches of agricultural fields, streams and forested slopes, Kheroni is ethnically diverse. According to locals’ estimates, it has a population of around 5,000 — largely non-tribals — including Biharis, Bengalis and Nepalis. Biharis constitute a majority of the non-tribal population.