24-hour Tripura Bandh: Normal life hit, BJP activists attacked at Mungiakami
Agartala/Teliamura: Oct 23: Violence erupted at the Mungiyakami Bazaar area during the 24-hour Tripura bandh called by the Tiprasa Civil Society (TCS), backed by the ruling BJP’s ally Tipra Motha Party (TMP). Several BJP supporters reported to be injured and required hospitalization. The shutdown, organised in support of an eight-point charter of demands including the deportation of illegal immigrants and implementation of the Tiprasa Accord, disrupted the normal life across the State.
According to local sources, chaos erupted at Mungiakami market area when a group of miscreants allegedly attacked the BJP’s Ramkrishnapur Shaktikendra while party workers were holding a preparatory meeting ahead of Chief Minister Professor (Dr.) Manik Saha’s scheduled rally on Friday. The meeting, attended by around 40 BJP workers and supporters including Surendra Debbarma, office secretary of the 29-Krishnapur Mandal Mother Committee, turned violent when bandh supporters reportedly stormed into the office armed with sticks, bamboo poles, and bricks.
Local BJP claimed, at least 25 to 30 BJP workers and supporters were injured, several of them seriously, in the attack. Also one TSR jawan was injured in the clash. Police rushed to the spot and rescued the injured, who were later admitted to Teliamura Sub-Divisional Hospital. Though police brought the situation under control, tension continues to prevail in the area.
BJP leaders alleged that the assault was a deliberate and pre-planned attempt to disrupt the Chief Minister’s public meeting scheduled at Mungiakami market ground on October 24. A written complaint naming several accused persons has been lodged with the Teliamura Sub-Divisional Police Officer. Additional police forces have been deployed, and the administration is maintaining strict vigil to prevent further unrest.
Elsewhere across the state, the bandh called by the Tiprasa Civil Society severely affected public transport and commercial activity. A senior police officer said that picketers staged sit-in demonstrations at over 52 key points across Tripura, including two locations along railway tracks in West Tripura and Khowai districts. Vehicular movement on National Highway-8—the state’s main arterial route—was partially disrupted due to road blockades.
While attendance in most government offices and banks remained normal, private offices, shops, and business establishments in several areas remained closed. “No major untoward incident has been reported elsewhere. The situation is under control with adequate deployment of Tripura State Rifles (TSR) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF),” the officer confirmed.
The Tiprasa Civil Society, led by TMP MLA Ranjit Debbarma, called the bandh to press for demands such as immediate implementation of the Tiprasa Accord, introduction of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system to curb infiltration, setting up of detention centres for illegal immigrants in every district, and holding of long-pending Village Committee elections under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).
Ranjit Debbarma criticised the state government for not taking proactive steps, saying that several BJP-ruled states like Assam, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Delhi had already initiated action against illegal immigrants as per the Ministry of Home Affairs’ directives. “The BJP government holds elections for all urban and rural bodies but continues to delay Village Committee polls under TTAADC,” he told the media.
Ahead of the strike, the Tripura government issued a notification clarifying that all its offices would remain open despite the bandh. Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, while appealing for peace, had stated that strikes and shutdowns hinder the pace of development.
Without directly naming the Tipra Motha, he said, “Although the bandh has been called by an NGO, people know who is behind it. Such moves are only meant to grab media attention and project unrest in Tripura, but development cannot be stalled this way.”
However, Tripura Pradesh BJP did not issue any formal statement regarding the bandh, so far.
CPIM state secretary and Leader of Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury and Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman also criticised the bandh, saying that the issues raised were not directly linked to the everyday concerns of common people of the State.
