Agartala: Traffic and train movement in parts of Tripura, especially along the long routes, came to a grinding halt as a strike called by Tiprasa Civil Society Organisations evoked a mixed response.
Picketers gathered at around 45 locations across the state, and both railway and regular traffic movement through the national and state highways were disrupted.
The response in the capital city, Agartala, was more or less marginal, barring one location near Swami Vivekananda Maidan where activists of the CSOs assembled in the morning. The protestors burnt tyres and shouted slogans demanding the state government’s prompt and effective intervention for the identification, detention, and deportation of Bangladeshi immigrants who have allegedly been trying to settle in Tripura and other parts of the Northeast for various reasons.
The protestors also urged the government to expedite the process of implementing the Tiprasa Accord signed between the Government of India, the Government of Tripura, and Tipra Motha, an ally in the tripartite political combine that is ruling the state.
In some areas, activists of the Tipra Motha Party openly participated in the strike, which has been declared an apolitical movement against the national security threat looming over the Northeastern state. According to police, no untoward incident or violent face-off was reported across the state.
Tight security arrangements had been put in place, and sufficient security personnel were deployed in locations deemed sensitive and prone to violence.
Speaking on the issue, Tipra Motha MLA Ranjit Debbarma, who is leading the civil society body, said that their picketers had gathered in many areas and that the response to the strike call was extremely positive.
“In 45 locations, our picketers have gathered. Our demands are very simple. We want the government to take a tough stand against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Apart from that, we want the Government of India to implement the tripartite agreement as soon as possible, and we also want official approval from the state government for adopting the Roman script for reading and writing Kokborok. We don’t want our language to be included in the Eighth Schedule. Granting approval for the Roman script could easily be done by the state cabinet,” said Debbarma.
According to Debbarma, his organisation wants an Assam-like mechanism to detect and deport illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. “Other BJP-ruled states like Assam and Gujarat have undertaken strict measures to implement the circular issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs to detect and deport Bangladeshis. In Tripura, we want the same mechanism, but despite being a BJP-ruled state, the government seems reluctant to adopt it. And we have the right to ask why,” he added.
In the foothills of Baramura, several hundred activists affiliated with the civil societies assembled to participate in the agitation. Speaking to media persons there, senior CSO functionary Chitta Debbarma said, “The whole process of deportation is ambiguous. We see Bangladeshis being caught and handed over to the police, but what happens to them after that, we don’t know. A proper record must be prepared and made public.”
Debbarma warned that if their demands were not met, they would call for a 48-hour strike in the next phase.
It should be noted that railway services across the state were also paralysed due to the strike. A statement issued by NFR said that in multiple locations along the Assam–Agartala section of the railway tracks, agitators staged blockades due to which a total of 10 trains were canceled, including the Sabroom–Sealdah Kanchanjungha Express, Lokmanya Tilak Express, and a special train. The local trains connecting Agartala and Silchar and other nearby areas were also suspended due to the blockades.
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According to Tripura Police, blockades were staged in as many as 61 locations, out of which three blockades, including that in Agartala, were withdrawn later in the afternoon.
The total number of picketers gathered in those 61 locations across Tripura was more than 3,500.
Sources in the police department said that although the situation was overall under control, a Tripura State Rifle trooper suffered injuries at Mungiakami after he intervened to control an imminent clash between workers of two political parties. One motorcycle was vandalised at Kowaifung, located under Baikhora police station in South Tripura district.
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