Assam Imposes Curbs, Suspends Internet in Kokrajhar After Lynching Sparks Unrest

The Assam government on Tuesday imposed prohibitory orders, suspended mobile internet services and deployed Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel in Kokrajhar after tensions flared following the mob lynching of a person on January 19, police said.

Orders issued under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita barred gatherings of more than four people in public places and prohibited protests and demonstrations across the district.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, said in a post on X that mobile internet services had been suspended in both Kokrajhar and neighbouring Chirang districts, and that he was in constant touch with senior state officials.

An official order suspending internet services in Chirang cited a deterioration in the law and order situation following an incident on Mansingh Road in Kokrajhar on Monday evening. According to the order, a Scorpio vehicle carrying three Bodo individuals hit two tribal residents near the Karigaon police outpost. In retaliation, locals allegedly assaulted the occupants and set the vehicle on fire.

“The fallout from the incident in Kokrajhar district is rapidly spreading to neighbouring districts of the Bodoland Territorial Region, with a strong likelihood of further law and order problems,” Additional Chief Secretary Ajay Singh said in the order.

On Tuesday morning, members of both the Bodo and Adivasi communities blocked the national highway near the Karigaon outpost, burnt tyres and set fire to some houses. The Karigaon police outpost and an office building were also attacked by a mob.

In another post in Assamese on X, Sarma said senior district and state officials were coordinating response efforts on the ground and that central armed police forces, including the RAF, had been deployed to maintain public safety.

“To maintain law and order, internet services have been temporarily suspended in Kokrajhar and Chirang districts,” he said, appealing to community leaders and political representatives to cooperate with the administration. “I urge everyone to help restore peace and normalcy at the earliest and ensure public safety.”

Bodoland Territorial Council Chief Executive Member Hagrama Mohilary described the incident as unfortunate and suggested that a “third force” was attempting to disturb peace in the region.

“In Bodoland, indigenous communities and the Bodo community have lived together peacefully for a long time. I believe some elements are trying to disrupt this harmony,” Mohilary said, urging people not to be provoked or resort to violence.