Over 20 people, including 15 police officers and forest department officials, were injured after a protest against the detention of 25 alleged encroachers turned violent in Assam's Chirang district on Friday, police said.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Chirang Dhruba Bora, who was also injured in the clash, said the forest department had detained 25 locals on Thursday during an operation against alleged encroachment in the Runikhata forest range along the India–Bhutan border.
According to police officers, over 200 locals gathered outside the Runikhata forest range office next day morning and staged a protest seeking the release of those detained.
Police said the protesters initially attacked on-duty personnel, torched a forest department office and vehicles, and later resorted to stone-pelting.
“In this process, at least 15 police and forest officials sustained injuries, and to control the situation we had to resort to blank firing,” Bora said, adding that several locals were also injured during the lathi charge.
Protesters alleged that the forest department was selectively detaining Adivasi people while allowing other communities to clear forest land in the same area.
The Assam government on Friday evening suspended mobile internet services in Chirang and Kokrajhar districts amid rising tension.
