Agartala, Oct 24: A bandh that remained largely peaceful across Tripura throughout Thursday took a violent turn by evening at Shantirbazar market in Dhalai district, where supporters of the Tiprasa Civil Society allegedly unleashed a brutal attack on government officials and residents, leaving at least ten people injured and prompting authorities to impose indefinite restrictions across Kamalpur Sub-division.
The 24-hour shutdown, called by TIPRA Motha MLA Ranjit Debbarma to press for implementation of the Tiprasa Accord and deportation of illegal immigrants, descended into chaos when bandh enforcers armed with traditional weapons clashed with shopkeepers, attacked officials on duty, looted shops, and set fire to a truck in what political observers are calling a calculated assault on law and order.
The violence left Salema RD Block Development Officer (BDO) Abhijit Majumdar and Engineer Animesh Saha critically injured, along with three Tripura State Rifles personnel and several civilians. Both officials were initially treated at Kamalpur Sub-divisional Hospital before being transferred to GB Pant Hospital in Agartala on Thursday night on the orders of Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha. Trader Subrata Pal was also among those seriously wounded in the attack.
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Speaking with Ukhrul Times on Friday, Dhalai district magistrate Vivek H.B. confirmed, “The situation is now under control, three TSR personnel have been injured, and one civilian also got injured. They have been taken to the district hospital and are under proper treatment.”
The District Magistrate added, “Salema RD Block Development Officer Abhijit Majumder, and an Engineer Animesh Saha also injured, after getting first treatment at Kamalpur Sub-divisional Hospital, they have been shifted to Agartala, where they are now under treatment, both are stable now.”
DIG Rati Ranjan Debnath emphasized that to bring the situation under control, we enforced baton charge and the situation is now under control, we have restricted entries in the market for any further conflicts, and TSR, Police and CRPF personnel have also been deployed.
In response to the escalating violence, District Magistrate Vivek H.B. issued an order on October 23 under Section 163 of BNSS, 2023, imposing strict restrictions within Kamalpur Sub-Division. The order cited scattered incidents of clashes in the wake of the bandh called by some political parties and other organisations. The District Magistrate stated he was satisfied that there were sufficient grounds for imposing restrictions to prevent danger to human life, public property and tranquillity.
The prohibitory order, effective from the evening of October 23 until further orders, banned assembly of more than four persons, use of weapons and dangerous materials, provocative speeches or sloganeering, distribution of pamphlets inciting hatred, use of rooftops or any premises for pelting stones during riots, and entry and movement of vehicles into prohibited areas. The order exempted military and paramilitary forces, police personnel, individuals authorized by the Superintendent of Police, government servants on emergency official duty, and patients requiring immediate treatment.
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The bandh, originally scheduled for October 13, was postponed to October 23 due to Diwali festivities, coinciding with Bhai Phonta. While the shutdown remained peaceful across most of the state during daytime, violence erupted at multiple locations by evening.
In Mungiakami, a violent clash broke out between supporters of the Civil Society’s bandh and BJP workers. A group of TIPRA Motha supporters allegedly attacked the BJP’s Mungiakami power center, injuring around 25 to 30 BJP workers, including Surendra Debbarma, the office secretary of the BJP’s 29 Krishna Pur Mandal Committee. The BJP alleged that the attack was pre-planned to disrupt Chief Minister Manik Saha’s upcoming public meeting in Mungiakami scheduled for October 24. Police intervened, and the injured were rushed to hospital as an investigation was launched.
Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha strongly condemned the violence. In a post on his official Facebook page on October 23, he wrote, “We strongly condemn the violent attack by Tipra Motha supporters on Shri Abhijit Majumdar (BDO, Salema), Engineer Shri Animesh Saha, and residents of Santirbazar, Dhalai District.” He added, “Such acts of violence are unacceptable. The administration is directed to take swift and strict action against those responsible.”
On October 24, Chief Minister Saha visited the injured officials and a trader at GB Pant Hospital. After the visit, he wrote on his official Facebook page, “Last night in the Santirbazar area of Surma constituency in Dhalai district, TIPRA Motha workers carried out a brutal and planned attack in the name of the Civil Society of Tripura. In this incident, BDO of Salema block Shri Abhijit Majumdar, Engineer Shri Animesh Saha and businessman Shri Subrata Pal were seriously injured. The injured were first admitted to Kamalpur Sub-divisional Hospital. As their physical condition deteriorated, I gave instructions the same night to quickly transfer them to GB Hospital.”
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He added, “This morning I went to GB Hospital to inquire about their physical condition and spoke with their families and officials of the Tripura Civil Service Association present there.” The Chief Minister further wrote, “The government will take the strictest measures against those involved in this heinous incident. No one is above the law. The law will follow its course.”
While interacting with the media at GB Pant Hospital, Chief Minister Saha said, “The Santirbazar incident is a blot on the name of the movement. They will definitely be punished; no one will be spared. No community or tribe would accept such incidents. In a few more days, they will not be found.” He added, “What kind of movement is this? The way life-threatening attacks were carried out in the name of the movement with machetes, sticks and catapults is condemnable. There, various unpleasant incidents occurred, including the snatching of gold chains.” He directly blamed the alliance partner Motha party, for the violence.
Giving a stern warning, the Chief Minister said, “No community or tribe will support such incidents. Everyone involved in such incidents will be brought under the law and punished.” Regarding the repeated such attacks by the alliance partner, the Chief Minister warned, “No one will be spared. Action will be taken against them. In a few more days, they will not be found. They had threatened before as well. However, such life-threatening attacks will be answered.”
Former Chief Minister and current Lok Sabha MP Biplab Kumar Deb also condemned the violence. He wrote, “I strongly condemn the attack on Shri Abhijit Majumdar (BDO, Salema), Engineer Shri Animesh Saha, and other residents of Santirbazar, Dhalai Distric,t in the name of a Democratic demonstration.”
He added, “Strict action should be taken against those who organised such heinous incidents in the name of democratic protest. Such violence will never be tolerated. I strongly condemn such an incident.”
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The bandh was called by the Tiprasa Civil Society under the leadership of Ranjit Debbarma, a TIPRA Motha MLA representing Ramchandraghat Assembly Constituency in Khowai district and former chief of the banned All Tripura Tiger Force, an insurgent group in Tripura.
The bandh was called to press for an eight-point charter of demands, including immediate implementation of the Tiprasa Accord signed on March 2, 2024, identification and deportation of all illegal immigrants, setting up detention camps in each district for illegal immigrants, official recognition of the Roman script for writing the Kokborok language, cancellation of fraudulent Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe certificates, and prompt implementation of the tripartite agreement signed on September 4, 2024, between the Government of India, the Government of Tripura, and ATTF-NLFT.
The Tiprasa Accord, signed in March 2024 between the Government of India, the Government of Tripura, and TIPRA Motha in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, was aimed at resolving long-standing concerns of Tripura’s indigenous people regarding history, land and political rights, economic development, identity, culture and language. However, TIPRA Motha has repeatedly alleged that the accord has not been implemented in letter and spirit, leading to growing frustration among the party’s supporters.
The first meeting of the Joint Working Group formed to oversee the implementation of the accord was held on September 20, 2024, in New Delhi. Despite this, concerns over slow implementation have persisted, with TIPRA Motha organizing protests in Delhi and issuing ultimatums to the BJP-led government in the state.
The violence has exposed deep fissures within Tripura’s ruling coalition, with Chief Minister Dr. Saha directly blaming alliance partner TIPRA Motha for orchestrating the violence while opposition leaders dismissed the entire episode as political theatre designed to mislead tribal voters ahead of upcoming Village Committee and Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council elections.