Agartala: Tension gripped the mixed-populated areas of Tripura following the report of a sudden outbreak of communal tension in Gandatwisa of Tripura’s Dhalai district.
Police said the district administration has clamped Sec. 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) (144 of CrPC) in the area after a series of attacks by a group of miscreants allegedly belonging to the tribal community on the non-tribals after the death of a college student who was assaulted on July 7 by a group of non-tribals.
Several houses and shops reportedly belonging to non-tribals in the surrounding villages of Gandatwisa have been set ablaze since Friday evening, forcing the non-tribal families to run away from the houses.
After the attack, the administration declared the closure of schools, colleges, and public offices. The sub-divisional hospital remains open with adequate security. The state government deployed extra forces, including CRPF from nearby districts.
Superintendent of Police (Dhalai) Avinash Rai said on Saturday the situation was brought under control within a few hours, although there were a few untoward incidents that happened by a group of miscreants. At least seven policemen, including Additional SP and SDPO Gandatwisa, were injured while preventing the violence in the darkness.
“All preventive measures to restore peace have been undertaken, and additional forces, including the CRPF, were pressed into action. There is no report of any fresh attacks on Saturday. We arranged the cremation of the boy who died in the hospital, and a peace meeting will be held,” Rai said.
A group of non-tribal youths beat up a college student identified as Parameshwar Range of Jagabandhupara on Sunday when he protested the assault of a mentally sick non-tribal man in a fun fair at the Cricket Stadium in the 30 Card area.
A group of 25–30 intoxicated youths assaulted him badly in the presence of TSR personnel. When Parameshwar was shifted to Gandatwisa Hospital, he was found electrocuted and very critical. The doctors referred him to Agartala Govt Medical College (AGMC), where he succumbed to his injuries on Friday, locals alleged.
Police arrested four prime accused persons involved in the attack on Parameshwar, and all of them are now in judicial custody. However, as soon as the information reached the village, it spread like wildfire, and a group of tribals resorted to attacking non-tribals in the local markets around the main town, almost at a time.
They looted the shops, assaulted the shop owners, and set the shops on fire. The Gandatwisa police station was not also equipped to handle the sudden outbreak of communal tension and became helpless, which triggered fear among the non-tribal communities, which took shelter in the forest areas.
