An all-party delegation led by Debabrata Saikia visits arson-affected areas of West Karbi Anglong.
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DIPHU — An all-party delegation, led by the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Assam Legislative Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, visited the arson-affected areas of West Karbi Anglong on Tuesday to assess the volatile situation on the ground.
The delegation comprised several senior Congress leaders, including APCC working president Pradip Sarkar, and MLAs Rekibuddin Ahmed, Abdul Rashid Mandol, Nurul Huda, Bhaskar Jyoti Baruah, and Sibamoni Bora.
The group also saw participation from regional allies, including Raijor Dal president and MLA Akhil Gogoi, CPM MLA Monoranjan Talukdar, APHLC president JI Kathar, and CPI (ML) leader Ruby Kumar Phangcho.
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The visit comes amid a climate of intense fear and “sleepless nights” for residents of the Professional Grazing Reserve (PGR) and Village Grazing Reserve (VGR) areas.
The government's proposed plan to clear alleged encroachments has triggered a state of panic across the local settlements.
In a parallel development, local MLA Rupsing Teron also visited Kheroni to interact with the public and address the escalating tensions.
Interacting with the media, Debabrata Saikia launched a blistering attack on the BJP-led state government and the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC).
“The loss of life is deeply unfortunate. When violence occurs in West Bengal under TMC rule, the BJP immediately demands President’s Rule. Yet, here, a massive incident has occurred, and they have tried to suppress it in the media because Tuliram Ronghang heads the Council and Himanta Biswa Sarma runs the state,” Saikia stated.
He further alleged that the administration has failed to maintain law and order and claimed that a specific section of the population is being systematically deprived of government schemes.
The delegation first visited the residence of Suruj Dey, who was killed during the arson incident, to offer condolences. They later visited the family of Linus Phangcho, a youth who lost his life in police firing during the unrest.
The opposition leaders collectively termed the violence a result of “administrative negligence” and demanded a high-level investigation into the culprits; immediate accountability from the state government, and justice and compensation for the bereaved families.
Prohibitory Order withdrawn in Karbi Anglong
The district administration of Karbi Anglong, has withdrawn the prohibitory order imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, with immediate effect across the district.
The order, earlier issued on December 22 as a precautionary measure in view of the prevailing law and order situation following incidents in the bordering district of West Karbi Anglong, had placed restrictions on the gathering of five or more persons and movement of individuals and private vehicles during night hours.
Following a review, the district administration noted that the law and order situation in Karbi Anglong district is now normal and under control. In view of the improvement in the situation and with the New Year approaching, the district magistrate ordered the withdrawal of the said restrictions from all areas of the district.
However, the public is advised to continue maintaining peace and cooperation to ensure a safe and orderly environment.