Tension has gripped the Chotakhil- Ranir Bazar area of South Tripura's Sabroom following allegations that an attempt was made to evict around 80 families residing near the historic Leelagarh Tea Garden.

Local residents approached Sabroom police station on Tuesday, alleging that tea garden officials and workers attacked houses, damaged crops and cut down rubber trees in the area. They also sought police protection amid growing concerns over their safety.

Several local residents- Uttam Debnath, Lakshmi Debnath, Dilip Sutradhar, Dilip Das, Dulal Sutradhar and Khokon Sutradhar alleged that they had been living in the Vijay Nagar (62 Card) area under Battala panchayat for nearly 70 years.

According to the residents, around 60-70 workers allegedly entered the locality at around 12.30 pm on Tuesday under the leadership of Leelagarh Tea Garden accountant Jiban Ray and Uttam Chowdhury. They alleged that the group attacked several houses, damaged standing crops and cut down a number of rubber trees.

Following the incident, members of the affected families approached Sabroom police station seeking security. Police personnel reportedly visited the area after receiving information about the incident, following which the situation came under some control.

Residents further claimed that nearly 200 families have been living in and around the Leelagarh Tea Garden area for the past 70-80 years. They said several families had been residing there with the permission of the tea garden authorities and that electricity connections and other government infrastructure had also been provided in the locality.

The residents questioned the alleged move to evict families who have been living in the area for decades.

There is also growing resentment among some villagers over the present management of the tea garden, they claimed. Residents alleged that there had been complaints of financial irregularities against some individuals previously associated with the management.

Some residents further alleged that disputes with the tea garden management began after Jiban Ray took charge around three months ago. They claimed that some residents had also been asked to pay substantial amounts of money and alleged that the attack was carried out by workers after they refused to comply.

The exact circumstances surrounding the incident and the identities of those responsible are expected to become clear following a police investigation. The response of the Leelagarh Tea Garden management was not immediately available.

The affected families have sought the intervention of Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha, demanding a fair investigation, protection of their longstanding residential rights and adequate security.