Karbi Anglong unrest: Assam govt to move HC, cancel illegal trade licences, fence PGR-VGR land

A crucial tripartite meeting involving the Assam government, Karbi organisations and the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council was held in Guwahati on December 26 to address the violent situation in West Karbi Anglong and the long-pending disputes over Professional Grazing Reserve and Village Grazing Reserve lands.

Speaking after the meeting, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said several key decisions were taken to bring immediate clarity and restore normalcy. He said it was decided that all stakeholders would jointly approach the Gauhati High Court to seek an early resolution of the VGR-PGR issue. The government also decided to shift all government offices located within VGR and PGR areas and to fence all vacant land immediately. A deforestation drive will be carried out in vacant areas to prevent fresh encroachment, he added.

The Chief Minister further said that trade licences illegally issued over the past five years would be cancelled, and eviction proceedings would be initiated against people occupying various categories of government and departmental land, including irrigation department land. He also announced that a government job would be provided to the family of the victim who lost his life during the recent violence and that police cases linked to the agitation would be withdrawn.

Sarma said another round of talks would be held on January 16 or 17 to resolve the remaining issues. He described the discussion as constructive and said it had brought to light that the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council had not filed an affidavit before the High Court for the last two years, which delayed resolution of the matter. He said the council had now been directed to file its affidavit by January 5 to remove legal uncertainty. Expressing optimism, Sarma said he stood with the people of Karbi Anglong and was confident that the issues could be resolved amicably with time.

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Karbi leader Litsong Rongphor, who was part of the meeting, said the situation in Karbi Anglong was extremely critical due to the recent violence and alleged atrocities. He said the state government had agreed to cancel all trade licences issued after 1951 and to evict outsiders occupying departmental lands, including tribal and council-controlled land. He said eviction notices would be issued immediately in PGR and VGR areas, and all vacant land would be fenced, along with the launch of an afforestation programme.

Rongphor said departmental lands, including irrigation land in Bokolia, land belonging to a girls’ school and sericulture land in West Karbi Anglong, would be freed from encroachment. He added that lease details would be submitted to the state government and the council, after which eviction processes would begin.

However, he clarified that the December 26 meeting was not final and that Karbi organisations would consult the wider Karbi society before deciding whether they were satisfied with the outcome. He said the movement was being led by Karbi society as a whole, not by any single organisation or political party, and warned that further action could be taken if the public felt the decisions were not adequately implemented.

Rongphor also criticised what he described as government mismanagement and failure of law and order, stating that Karbi organisations had submitted memoranda and petitions for several years without adequate response. He said public anger had built up due to this lack of action, eventually leading to the recent unrest.

Security officials said the situation in West Karbi Anglong remains sensitive, with continued monitoring as the government works to implement the decisions taken during the tripartite talks.