Order SIT probe on Shimultala incident: Tripura LoP

Tripura Leader of the Opposition and CPIM politburo member Jitendra Chaudhury on Thursday demanded a Special Investigation Team (SIT) be formed to probe the incident of communal violence erupted at Shimultala under Fatikroy assembly constituency on January 10. According to the senior CPIM leader, a senior police official should be entrusted with the task to head the SIT and ensure that the real culprits involved in violence are arrested and punished.  

The violence broke out at Shimultala under Fatikroy police station following a clash between two groups over the collection of subscriptions for a local festival. At least six people were injured in the incident, and around 15 families were affected, he added.

Addressing a press conference at CPIM state headquarters, Chaudhury said, “I met Chief Secretary J.K. Sinha, and urged him to take immediate steps to restore normalcy in the area. I have urged the Chief Secretary to constitute the SIT for a thorough investigation.”

According to the CPIM leader, he had placed a six point charter of demands before the state administration to restore normalcy in the Shimultala village. “Apart from a SIT investigation, I have urged the state administration to set up a temporary police picket in the village. More than ten days have elapsed since the incident had occurred but the simmering tension is still palpable. The trouble-mongers often visit the area to provoke violence. Presence of police and adequate security is important. I have also urged the administration to initiate confidence building measures so that youngsters of the Muslim families can return home. Many of them went into hiding in apprehension of further violence or police action,” he said.

Seeking adequate compensation for the victim families, he said, “In the name of government help, 11 families received Rs 5,000 each. This is not enough. As many as 15 families had been affected in the violence. Their residential dwellings had been destroyed; stacks of hay, vehicles, agricultural equipment had been reduced to ashes. After thorough assessment the government should compensate them, provide assistance for construction of dwellings under housing schemes and also make arrangements for low-interest loans so that they can resume their livelihood activities without much difficulty.”

He also demanded the release of five persons from the victim families who had been arrested under charges of rioting. “As many as 13 people had been arrested. Five of them are innocent and belong to the victim families. They should be arrested immediately,” he added.

Stating that the government must take effective steps to prevent such incidents from occurring again, Chaudhury said, “We can sense an ominous method behind these incidents. In the last couple of years, we have come across several such incidents and Shimulata was the latest addition. Proactive steps are required to put a full stop in such incidents forever.”