Guwahati: Fresh testimonies have surfaced from violence-hit pockets of Karbi Anglong district in Assam, where mob attacks and arson on Monday night (December 22) forced several families to flee and left at least one person dead, officials and residents said.
Sushil Malakar, a local resident, said panic gripped the area as violence erupted around 6 pm after nightfall. He said stone-pelting by a mob triggered chaos, forcing residents to abandon their homes without any prior warning.
Malakar said he had lived in the locality for years with his uncle and aunt and never anticipated such unrest. “We believed we were safe here,” he said, adding that a person known to the family allegedly warned them to flee or face death. “We ran to save our lives and could not take anything. Everything we owned was later reduced to ashes,” he said.
According to Malakar, six to seven houses were set ablaze in his immediate neighbourhood, while more than 50 houses were torched across the wider area. He also alleged that an ailing boy, who could not escape during the violence, was left behind and died after the house was set on fire.
Despite a heavy deployment of police and security forces, fear continues to prevail, residents said. “We feel some relief when police are around. The fear returns when they leave,” Malakar said.
He stressed that the affected families had lived in the area for generations. “Our parents were born and brought up here. Losing our homes has shattered our sense of security,” he said.
Security forces remain deployed across sensitive areas of Karbi Anglong as authorities continue investigations and efforts to restore normalcy, officials added.