Diphu :   Widespread unrest gripped West Karbi Anglong district today following the forcible removal of indigenous people’s hunger strikers, leading to a massive road blockade and reports of significant property damage in affected areas of Kheroni.

The crisis began in the early hours when authorities cleared protesters who had been on an indefinite hunger strike for over 15 days at Phelangpi under the Kheroni police station.

The agitators, primarily from Karbi and other indigenous communities, were demanding the eviction of alleged illegal settlers from Professional Grazing Reserve (PGR) and Village Grazing Reserve (VGR) lands, citing protections under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

In response, thousands of protesters including women, elders, youths, and students quickly mobilized, blocking the key Kheroni Bridge (Thong Nokbe Bridge).

Demonstrators sat on the roadway, raising slogans and insisting on direct negotiations with Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) Chief Executive Member Dr. Tuliram Ronghang.

Over 1,000 police personnel were deployed to maintain order amid the swelling crowds. While the blockade itself remained largely peaceful, reports emerged of widespread destruction in Kheroni’s Nepali Basti and surrounding localities.

Eyewitnesses claimed agitators demolished boundary fencing, razed private homes and shops, vandalized a school bus, and damaged multiple vehicles, including a public ambulance.

In a further escalation, confirmed reports suggest that protesters set fire to the ancestral home of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council’s Chief Executive Member  Tuliram Ronghang in Donkamokam later in the afternoon.