The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president and Deputy Leader of the Indian National Congress in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, on Wednesday expressed grave concern over the deteriorating law-and-order situation in West Karbi Anglong.
In a statement posted on the social media platform X, Gogoi said the unrest turned violent after a large group of protesters allegedly set ablaze the residence of a BJP leader believed to be a close associate of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. He stated that one protester lost his life in police firing, while several others, including police personnel, were injured during the clashes.
Gogoi noted that tensions continue to remain high in the region, prompting the administration to suspend mobile internet services in both East and West Karbi Anglong districts as a precautionary step to prevent the spread of misinformation and further escalation.
Calling for restraint, the Congress leader urged the state government to deal with the situation sensitively, warning that excessive use of force would only aggravate the crisis. He reiterated that the Congress in Assam does not endorse violence in any form and remains committed to democratic and peaceful methods of protest.
“We want peace and appeal to every section of society to maintain calm,” Gogoi said, adding that the repeated episodes of unrest point to long-standing and unresolved issues faced by indigenous people, ethnic groups, tribes and local residents of the state.
He further alleged that the concerns of these communities have been repeatedly ignored under the present dispensation, claiming that as long as the current Chief Minister remains in office, the problems of indigenous and local communities will continue to be treated as secondary.
