Tipra Motha founder Pradyot Kishore condemns Oct 23 Dhalai clashes, says violence will not give results

Addressing the third annual conference of the Council of Tiprasa Hoda, the apex body of Tripuri tribal leaders, in Dhalai district, Pradyot Kishore emphasised that ‘unity’ alone can save tribal communities. He said people of these communities would have to rise above political divisions to safeguard their socio-economic, cultural and Constitutional rights.

Meanwhile, Tipra Motha legislator Ranjit Debbarma filed a complaint at West Agartala police station over claims that he has a Bangladeshi ID card and birth certificate.

Speaking to reporters, Ranjit Debbarma stated that he had seen several social media pages and a local TV channel sharing pictures of purported Bangladeshi documents belonging to him.

“These claims have been made without verifying the facts. They didn’t even ask me whether these documents were genuine or fake. Even fake IDs of other leaders were circulated on social media. I am an indigenous tribal and have been elected from an ST-reserved seat. Maybe for this reason, they are targeting me. I have taken shelter of law and shall fight legally,” Ranjit Debbarma said.

He earlier visited injured officials and civilians admitted to Agartala-based Govind Ballabh Pant (GBP) Hospital following the clashes in Dhalai district. A section of miscreants had ‘infiltrated’ picketers of the strike and engaged in violence to malign him and his organisation, the MLA said.

Rebel-turned-politician Ranjit Debbarma also questioned why the police remained ‘inactive’ during the clashes, and demanded that miscreants spotted in various videos be immediately arrested.

Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, who also holds the Home portfolio, has warned perpetrators of the violence and said politics cannot thrive on muscle power and communal provocation.

In an oblique reference to Tipra Motha, he said those who perpetrated the Shantirbazar violence would be “nowhere” in the coming days.

Meanwhile, Tripura Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury said, “No one can reach their goal by creating unrest through such movements… India has progressed in all sectors today. I believe people with good sense cannot support such incidents.”

Several administrative and police officials were injured, and many shops were set ablaze and looted in the Shantirbazar area under Kamalpur sub-division of Dhalai district during the October 23 strike.

The incident occurred after picketers visited the local market and purportedly tried to force shopkeepers to down their shutters. After the latter resisted, an altercation broke out, leading to incidents of arson and looting.

Kamalpur Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Samudra Debbarma sustained injuries to his head after he was hit by a flying brick bat. Salema Block Development Officer (BDO) Abhijit Majumder also sustained injuries after his vehicle became the target of an irate mob.

The strike was called by Ranjit Debbarma-led Tiprasa Civil Society demanding the implementation of the tripartite Tiprasa Accord signed by the Centre, state government and the Tipra Motha last year. The organisation also called for strong measures to detect illegal migrants.