Guwahati, Sept 6: Tensions flared in Assam’s Badarpur district on Saturday as students and locals staged a massive protest against the renaming of Karimganj to Sribhumi. The agitation, centred at N.C. College saw police detain 110 students after demonstrators blocked National Highway-6 (NH-6), disrupting traffic.

The situation turned violent when protesters clashed with police personnel who tried to stop the blockade. Stones were allegedly hurled at security forces, prompting a baton charge. One demonstrator was reportedly injured, while journalists covering the protest were also targeted.

The unrest followed a 12-hour bandh called by unidentified organisations opposing the renaming move. The bandh came soon after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s visit to Sribhumi, where his sharp criticism of the opposition is said to have fueled local anger.

Defending the decision, the Chief Minister had earlier written on X (formerly Twitter): “Over a 100 years ago, Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore had described modern-day Karimganj District in Assam as ‘Sribhumi’—the land of Maa Lakshmi. Today, the Assam Cabinet has fulfilled this long-standing demand of our people.”

However, renaming has divided opinions. While some residents welcomed the historical reference, others questioned the move, citing Karimganj’s cultural legacy as part of undivided Sylhet before the 1947 Partition. Some groups have also demanded further changes, including renaming Badarpur Railway Station in Sribhumi to Siddheshwar Railway Station.

Speaking to the media, Sribhumi SSP Partha Pratim Das confirmed that 110 individuals—mostly N.C. College students—were detained under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

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