8 cops injured as anti-Waqf Act protest turns violent in Tripura’s Unakoti district, 8 protesters held

A large contingent of security personnel, including those from the Central Armed Police Forces and Tripura State Rifles (TSR), was deployed in the area following the development. Restrictions on public movement have also been imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

Speaking to indianexpress.com, a senior officer of the state police said organisers of the protest rally were asked to carry out the demonstration in areas under the jurisdiction of the Irani police station and not agitate in Kailashahar, which has a mixed population.

“However, at about 12:25 hrs, the rally reached Kubjar (in Unakoti district), then the police/TSR/CRPF deployed a barricade there, and they (demonstrators) started pushing and shoving the police to cross the barricade. Since then, they had been throwing stones, shoes, and bottles at police personnel, due to which five police and TSR personnel received injuries. After this, the police fired tear gas shells and lathi-charged the demonstrators. Then the people who came to the procession fled,” the officer informed.

However, sources in the Kailashahar Joint Action Committee from the Tilabazaar area, which took out the protest rally, said they initially decided to keep the rally out of the Kailashahar municipal area as they did not have the requisite permission to enter the city.

Another source alleged that a shoe was thrown at the protest rally, following which a group of youths in the rally turned unruly and tried to break the police barricade.

Sudhambika R, District Superintendent of Police, Unakoti, and Rati Ranjan Debnath, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Northern Range), rushed to the area to assess the situation.

Congress leader Md Badruzzaman, who led the rally, and Sudhambika R were seen engaged in a heated argument. Badruzzaman accused the police of provoking violence and said many protesters were injured in the police action.

DIG Debnath later claimed that normalcy had been restored in the area.

In a separate incident, tension broke out between fire service personnel driving a fire tender and anti-Waqf (Amendment) Act protesters at Sonamura in the Sepahijala district. The agitators allegedly tried to stop the vehicle that was en route to attend an emergency call.