Tension engulfs Fatikroy, prohibitory orders clamped, internet suspended (update)

Tension broke out in Fatikroy’s Shimultala area after an argument over collection of subscriptions for a local religious festival took an ugly turn. The situation turned highly volatile after clashes broke out between two groups.

In order to defuse the tension, the administration promulgated prohibitory orders and section 163 of the BNSS (Previously section 144 of the CrPC) and internet services had been suspended for 48 hours in the Kumarghat subdivision. Police sources said, a number of people who had been responsible for inciting the trouble had been arrested as well.

According to local sources, the trouble began when the volunteers of local Bharav Mela organising committee stopped a wood log laden vehicle and asked the driver to contribute for the religious festival.

The driver, reportedly, refused to pay the subscription citing that the demand made by the volunteers was not justified.  The refusal triggered a heated altercation prompting the owner of the timber shop to intervene. The owner is from the minority community.

The heated arguments further intensified and gradually snowballed into a scuffle when the communal angle came into play. Initially, the volunteers were thrashed by the timber shop owner and his associates. Later, people from the adjoining areas retaliated, leading to the violence and arson.  

It is learnt that the timber shop was unauthorised and the owner of the shop had a previous history of having involvement in various illegal business links with Bangladesh.

Soon after the news spread, a large contingent of police personnel, along with personnel from the Tripura State Rifles (TSR), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Assam Rifles, was deployed in the area. Police carried out a mild lathi-charge to disperse the mob, while drone surveillance was introduced to monitor the situation.

Unakoti District Magistrate Dr Tamal Majumder and Superintendent of Police (in-charge) Avinash Rai visited the spot to assess the situation. Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were imposed in the affected areas to prevent further escalation.

As a precautionary measure, the district administration has also ordered suspension of mobile internet services across Unakoti district for the next 48 hours to curb the spread of rumours and prevent mobilisation.

Addressing the media, SP (in-charge) Avinash Rai said, “Some unfortunate incident occurred in the area. We have deployed enough security forces and the trouble makers have been arrested. The situation has stumbled back to normalcy and we are keeping a close watch on the situation.”

Later, an advisory was issued and people had been urged to avoid sharing any rumours about the incident. The police said that strict action would be taken against those who are found to be involved in such activities.

According to police sources, stacks of hays, bamboo made fencings, and a timber laden vehicle had been set ablaze by the angry mob. It has been alleged that attempts were made to destroy a religious place but no serious harm was afflicted to any of the household.

Speaking to Tripura Times, District Magistrate Unakoti District Dr Tamal Majumder said, “Boundaries and fences of some houses had been affected during the incident. Around seven to eight people had been taken under police custody. The entire situation is under control and normalcy has been restored.”

On being asked about the rumours of attack on a place of worship, Dr Majumder said, “No serious harm has been caused to any religious structure. A portion of a window broke at the outside of the building.”

Meanwhile, local MLA and Minister Sudhangshu Das also rushed to his constituency after receiving the report of the incident.

The Minister said that the situation had been brought under control and urged the people to abstain from rumour mongering.

“An unfortunate and undesirable incident occurred today in the Saidarpara area of my Assembly constituency, which is indeed regrettable. Our local leadership and the police administration acted promptly and succeeded in bringing the situation under control. Several persons have already been arrested. I want to reassure everyone that the situation there is now completely under control, and all those involved in the incident will certainly be brought to justice. I appeal to everyone not to spread any false, rumour-based or misleading information,” he added.

Opposition Congress and CPIM condemned the incident and held the ruling BJP responsible for the whole incident. Leader of Opposition Jitnedra Chaudhury and CLP leader Birajit Sinha demanded stringent action against the miscreants who were responsible for the violence and arson.