Except for some stray incidents, Tripura largely normal

Agartala: Except for some stray incidents in three of its eight districts during the past 24 hours in Tripura, the situation was largely normal on Thursday after the agitation since Monday against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, officials said.

A senior police official said in Agartala that some elements burnt down a vehicle and a few shops in Dhalai district on Wednesday night.

“In a separate incident some anti-CAB group people burnt down few shops in Taidu in Gomati district (in southern Tripura).

“Some people tried to create disturbances at a few places in Dhalai and North Tripura districts, but alert security forces dispersed them at once,” the official told IANS on condition of anonymity.

District Magistrates and Collectors of two troubled and mixed population districts – Dhalai and North Tripura — said the situation was absolutely normal on Thursday.

“Troopers of Assam Rifles, Border Security Force (BSF) and Tripura State Rifles (TSR) were deployed in Dhalai district. No fresh incident was reported on Thursday. Only some rumour mongers trying to spread fake news,” Brahmneet Kaur, DM and Collector(Dhalai) told IANS over phone.

North Tripura District Magistrate and Collector Raval H. Kumar said that the situation in the district was absolutely normal and peaceful.

“Some para-military troopers from Assam Rifles were deployed on Wednesday and now they have left. Only troopers of BSF and Tripura State Rifles (TSR) are there,” he told IANS.

A six-member delegation of the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), junior ally of the ruling BJP, went to Delhi on Wednesday to hold a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the contentious bill, which has been passed by both Houses of Parliament.

IPFT Assistant General Secretary and party spokesman Mangal Debbarma told IANS over phone from Delhi on Thursday that the party delegation led by General Secretary and Tripura Forest and Tribal Welfare Minister Mevar Kumar Jamatia would meet Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday or Friday morning and would urge him to withdraw the CAB.

Debbarma said that Jamatia and other IPFT leaders held a meeting with the BJP-floated grouping of the non-Congress North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convenor and Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in Guwahati on Monday and urged him to take up the CAB issue with the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister.

The JMACAB convener Anthony Debbarma and INPT President Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl after a marathon meeting with Chief Minister Biplab Deb told the media (in the presence of the Chief Minister) that they have called off their indefinite agitation against the CAB in Tripura.

“The Chief Minister assured us that he would take up the CAB issue with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He promised us that he would convey the sentiments of the indigenous people to the central government. Following the Chief Minister’s assurance, we have withdrawn the protest for the time being tonight (Wednesday),” JMACAB convener Anthony Debbarma said.

The JMACAB, which also includes NGOs and civil society groups, while calling an indefinite shutdown in Tripura from Monday, has been agitating against the CAB. The INPT, one of the oldest tribal based parties and a former ally of the Congress, along with other local parties has been protesting against the CAB for the past several months.

Chief Minister Biplab Deb told the media that the agitation against the CAB is unnecessary and against the development of Tripura.

“Union Home Minister Amit Shah has already made it clear that with the enforcement of the CAB, no community or individual belonging to northeast region would be affected,” said Deb, who also holds the home portfolio.

Published on: Dec 12, 2019 at 16:48 IST

IANS