Violence triggered off after creation of Telangana in Andhra Pradesh continued to rock Karbi Anglong district of Assam on Thursday with protesters setting a deadline of August 15 for all the elected representative of the district — MP and MLAs to resign in support of their demand of an “autonomous state”.
Trouble started on Wednesday when the protesters led by Karbi Students’ Association, Karbi Riso Adorba and other organisations, went on the rampage on the streets of district headquarters Diphu.
The protesters who came out violating curfew on Thursday set the Diphu radio station of All-India Radio on fire besides disrupting the rail communication to upper Assam by damaging the rail track near Diphu on Thursday. More than a dozen government offices of forest, veterinary and PWD departments were also vandalised at Bokajan and Hawarghat. The protesters on Wednesday threw stones at the houses of Congress MP Birensing Ingti, MLA Bidyasing Engleng, council’s chief executive member Joyram Engleng and its executive member Tuliram Ronghang and had damaged their property.
The district administration, which was a silent spectator to the ongoing arson and violence through out the day, has sought the help of Army and paramilitary forces to restore the situation.
The state administration however claimed to have rushed five companies of additional paramilitary forces to the trouble-torn district as violence engulfed entire hill district.
Earlier, a college student Rahul Signa who sustained bullet injury with 19 others in a police firing at Diphu on Wednesday succumbed to injury in a hospital late on Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, MP and legislators of the district who fled Diphu soon after violence erupted had a meeting in Guwahati. Congress MP Birensingh Ingti announced that he would not hesitate in resigning his seat if it helps in restoring peace in the district.
Normal life was also hit in neighbouring Dima Hasao district, following a 10-hour bandh called by the Hills State Democratic Party.
The party has also called a 100-hour bandh in the two hill districts from August 5 to press for the demand of separate Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong autonomous states like Telengana.