NEW DELHI, Dec 24: Army has been deployed to maintain law and order in violence-hit West Karbi Anglong district of Assam, Director General of Police Harmeet Singh said on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters at the worst-hit Kheroni area, Mr Singh appealed to the people not to indulge in violence and asked community elders to make “misguided” youths understand that problems can be solved only through dialogue.
“Army columns have reached here, and they have marched through these areas. The situation is totally under control now,” he said. The police are investigating the violence that happened over the last two days, he said. “We will arrest the culprits. Let the situation stabilise first,” he added.
Two persons were killed, and 45 others, including 38 police personnel, injured as violence rocked West Karbi Anglong district. Agitators from the Karbi community had been on a hunger strike for the last 15 days, demanding the eviction of alleged illegal settlers, who mostly hail from Bihar, from Village Grazing Reserve (VGR) and Professional Grazing Reserve (PGR) lands in tribal belts.
The agitators went on a rampage on Monday after police took away three hunger strikers from the protest site in the early hours, a move which the administration later claimed was for their hospitalisation.
(Manas Dasgupta)
