2005 - Indian Social Institute

the region. "The fight between the Dimasas and the Karbis are over land rights and in regular intervals we
find the two groups involved in bloody clashes," another police official said. (Pioneer 10/10/05)
Assam govt to probe ethnic violence (6)
GUWAHATI, OCTOBER 11: With ethnic clashes in Assam claiming 30 lives—six of them yesterday—the
state government today announced a probe into the killings. Most of the killings were executed by militant
groups claiming to be fighting for the rights of the Dimasa and Karbi tribes. Six persons were killed near
Diphu yesterday even as Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and former CM Prafulla Kumar Mahanta were
touring the violence-hit areas. The state government today announced a judicial probe by retired Guwahati
High Court judge PC Phukan. The report would be submitted in three months. As most of the killings
occurred in remote villages, even the police came to know of each incident very late. The ethnic violence
was triggered on September 26 with the murder of three Dimasa youths near Diphu, the headquarters of
Karbi Anglong, a district dominated by the Karbi tribe. The administration initially considered it a law and
order problem, but the violence escalated with Karbis and Dimasas attacking each other’s villages. While
five persons were killed in two separate incidents on October 3, three were killed a day later. On October
8 seven persons were killed in three villages. Five more died as armed militants attacked five villages
belonging to both communities on October 10. The police blame the Dima Halam Daoga (DHD) and the
United People’s Democratic Solidarity (UPDS), militant groups claiming to represent the Dimasa and Karbi
tribes respectively for the violence. ‘‘Villagers are being targeted by the two groups to create tension
between the tribes,’’ Karbi Anglong SP Pankaj Sharma said. Police said the assailants used AK-47 and
SLR weapons to carry out the killings. (Indian Exp 12/10/05)
Tribal clashes hit Assam, 34 killed (6)
Guwahati, Oct. 17: The ongoing ethnic clash in the hills of Assam took an ugly turn on Monday when at
least 34 people, mainly Karbi tribals, were hacked to death and their beheaded bodies burnt by
unidentified Dimasa militants in trouble-torn district of Karbi Anglong. The Assam government, led by chief
minister Tarun Gogoi, issued shoot-at-sight orders and clamped indefinite curfew in the area to prevent
any more violence. The Karbis and Dimasas have been fighting for years over land in Assam, but fresh
ethnic clashes between the two factions started last week. About 69 people have been killed and more
than 20,000 people have been rendered homeless in the last 10 days of unabated ethnic clashes between
the warring tribes. More than 5,000 houses have also been set ablaze in the ongoing crisis.
"Heavily-armed Dimasa militants stopped two passenger buses and pulled out 22 victims, hacking them to
death and then threw their bodies into the burning buses," a junior police officer at Diphu police station
said. Intelligence sources said two buses were on their way from Zirkingging of Hamren sub-division to
Diphu when militants intercepted them at Pharchim, about 90 km from Diphu. The militants set one
vehicle on fire while passengers of the other bus were hacked to death before they were set ablaze, the
sources said, adding that the toll was likely to increase after more bodies were recovered from the burning
vehicles. After torching the two buses, the militants moved to nearby Sarsim village where they killed 12
more Karbis three hours later. The attackers also torched 125 houses in different parts of the district.
(Asian Age 18/10/05)
120 homes set ablaze in fresh militant attacks (6)
Diphu: Fear and panic gripped people in violence-torn Karbi Anglong district of Assam as militants
launched fresh attacks by torching scores of homes belonging to rival tribal groups. Despite an indefinite
curfew and Army soldiers staging flag marches to contain escalating ethnic clashes that claimed 72 lives
in the last three weeks, violence continued in the district. A police spokesman said Karbi tribal rebels
attacked three villages on Tuesday morning and set ablaze 120 homes belonging to people from the rival
Dimasa tribe. "There were no casualties in the attack although many houses were damaged in the fire,"
Karbi Anglong District Magistrate DD Tripathi said. There were reports of militants attacking security
forces in at least two places with automatic weapons on Tuesday night. Details were awaited, as the area
where the encounters took place was very remote. Violence peaked on Monday when 36 Karbi tribal
villagers were hacked to death by Dimasa militants in three separate attacks in what is being described as
"an orchestrated orgy of killings". Army soldiers patrolled vulnerable areas in the curfew-bound district with
police and paramilitary troopers also deployed in strength to prevent further ethnic clashes."Strict orders
were issued asking security forces to shoot-on-sight anybody violating the curfew. This has been done to
prevent movement of militants," the district magistrate said. An indefinite curfew was clamped Monday