Guwahati: After two days of tension and violence, parts of Kokrajhar district are slowly returning to normalcy, with security forces stepping up presence on the ground and community leaders coming together to appeal for peace. Authorities said no fresh incidents of violence or arson were reported in the last 24 hours, even as the human cost of the unrest continues to unfold in relief camps.
However, mobile internet services remained suspended for a second consecutive day on Wednesday as authorities feared the possibility of fresh unrest.
The violence, which broke out on Monday evening following clashes between two groups, claimed two lives and left at least four others injured. In response, the Army conducted a flag march on Tuesday in sensitive pockets of Karigaon, Awdang Bazar and Mashing Road to reassure residents and reinforce law and order.
A heavy security deployment—comprising the Indian Army, Assam Police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Rapid Action Force (RAF)—remains in place across the affected areas. Senior officers are maintaining round-the-clock vigil, officials said.
Assam Handloom and Textile Minister Urkhao Gwra Brahma described the Karigaon incident as deeply unfortunate, saying it has spread fear across the area and forced many families to flee their homes and take shelter in relief camps.
Providing details, the minister said that 99 displaced families comprising 463 members from the Bodo community are currently staying at Karigaon High School. In addition, 83 families have taken shelter at Taijouguri in an open field, families from 10 villages are staying at the Baoragaon relief camp (open field), while 50 families are at 6 No. Bashbari, 60 families at the Manikpur relief camp and 30 families at the Gograpara relief camp. He added that Karigaon High School is also accommodating affected families from the Santhali community.
Brahma expressed concern that essential relief materials have yet to reach many of the displaced families and urged the administration to ensure the immediate supply of basic necessities along with adequate security arrangements so that people can safely return to their homes.
“In this difficult time, peace and humanity must guide us all,” the minister s
Inspector General of Police (Border), Kokrajhar, Vivekraj Singh said the situation was “under control” and urged people to maintain calm and cooperate with the administration.
As a precautionary measure, the district administration has opened three temporary relief camps at Awdang Bazar, Karigaon Bazar and Karigaon Primary School. Officials said around 1,200 people have taken shelter so far. Members of the Bodo community have been accommodated at the Awdang Bazar camp, while Santhal families are staying in camps set up in Karigaon.
While the streets are quieter, life inside the camps paints a starkly different picture.
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In South Karigaon, where several houses in Adivasi-dominated localities were reportedly set ablaze, families are struggling to cope with loss and uncertainty. At the relief camp inside Karigaon Higher Secondary School, nearly 450 people—including women and children—are living in cramped conditions. With inadequate lighting at night and shortages of food and drinking water, exhaustion and fear are etched on many faces.
Some residents said they had gone nearly two days without proper sleep or meals after fleeing their homes in panic. “We don’t know when we can go back or what we will find there,” said one elderly camp inmate, clutching a small bundle of belongings.
Even as security forces have managed to stabilise the situation, the administration faces the challenge of restoring confidence among displaced families.
In a significant step towards reconciliation, a peace meeting was held on Wednesday at the BTC Secretariat auditorium in Kokrajhar. The meeting was attended by Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) Chief Hagrama Mohilary, Assam Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah, senior officials including Principal Secretary Mukesh Sahu, District Commissioner Pankaj Chakravarty, SSP Akshat Garg, MLAs Lawrence Islary and Rabiram Narzary, along with representatives of several student bodies and civil society organisations.
Welcoming participants, the District Commissioner said affected families had been accommodated in relief camps and that normalcy was gradually returning with the cooperation of all stakeholders.
Addressing the gathering, BTC Chief Hagrama Mohilary said the very presence of diverse groups at the meeting reflected a collective commitment to peace. He assured that damage to houses and property would be assessed and addressed by the district administration and the BTC. Mohilary appealed to people to avoid rumours and misinformation and allow the administration to do its job. He also said he had personally visited the relief camps and that conditions there were being normalised.
Assam Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah, speaking on behalf of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, described the incident as “unfortunate and painful” and warned against the circulation of fabricated videos that could inflame tensions. He said the Chief Minister, though currently abroad, is closely monitoring the situation and credited swift administrative action for the improvement on the ground.
The Minister also linked peace to development, noting recent events such as Bagurumba Dwhou 2026 in Guwahati and the Prime Minister’s proposed visit to Kokrajhar next month to launch the Kokrajhar–Gelephu railway project. “Violence can derail development,” he cautioned, urging communities to work together.
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Participants at the meeting raised concerns about early relief and rehabilitation, the formation of grassroots peace committees, and psychological and educational support for students preparing for upcoming Class X examinations.
Concluding the meeting, the District Commissioner said memorandums and suggestions from various organisations had been received and reiterated an appeal for calm, stressing that lasting peace would depend on trust, dialogue and collective responsibility.
