Assam's Karbi Anglong Burns: 50-Year-Old Bihari Settlement Sparks Land Dispute

• Tension grips Kheroni, Karbi Anglong, over a 50-year-old land dispute involving Bihari, Nepali, Bengali, and Muslim settlers.
• Around 200 Bihari laborers arrived in the 1970s to build bridges, later settling on fertile land and growing to an estimated 40,000 voters.
• Local Karbi groups accuse these communities of encroaching on VGR/PGR lands, legally reserved under the Sixth Schedule.
• Settlers claim 50-60 years of residence, land deeds, and contributions to development, while Karbi groups demand protection of indigenous rights.
• The dispute intensified with the Himanta Biswa Sarma government's anti-encroachment drive and a Supreme Court order to remove illegal occupations.

Why It Matters: A 50-year-old settlement of Bihari laborers in Assam's Karbi Anglong has escalated into a major land and identity conflict.