Curfew imposed after violence in North Tripura’s Kadamtala, one dead, 2 injured

Agartala, Oct 7: One person was killed and two others were injured after security forces opened fire to control an escalating law-and-order situation in North Tripura’s Kadamtala area on Sunday evening. The deceased have been identified as Sultan Ahmed.

To prevent further escalation of the situation in the area, the local administration imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) as a precautionary measure.

Kadamtala, an area inhabited by a mixed-population in the district, reportedly witnessed violence following an assault on a driver belonging to the Muslim community, who allegedly refused to pay donation for a community Durga Puja.

According to reports, a group of people collecting donations for the puja allegedly assaulted the driver when he purportedly refused to donate citing an emergency of ferrying a patient to a hospital.

Following the refusal, an altercation ensued between the driver and the group, which led to the registration of a police complaint and subsequent arrest of one person.

As the news of Ahmed’s alleged assault spread, members of the Muslim community in the area gathered outside the local police station to protest. Eyewitnesses claimed that some protesters vandalised businesses and shops owned by Hindu owners, prompting the police to resort to baton charging to disperse the crowd.

Later, people from the Hindu community in the area held a counter-protest and allegedly engaged in further vandalism, leading to another round of police action.

To prevent the situation from worsening, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Sajal Debnath imposed prohibitory orders effective from October 6 until October 9, restricting movement in the Kadamtala police station jurisdiction from 6 pm to 6 am. Emergency services were exempted from these curbs.

Despite the curfew, people turned up in large numbers at the Kadamtala market violating the curfew norms in the evening.

Several shops in the Kadamtala market were reportedly set on fire, resulting in significant property damage. In an effort to control the situation, police, Tripura State Rifles (TSR), and Central Armed forces were deployed.

The forces reportedly opened fire to manage the escalating violence, leading to the death of Ahmed and injuring two others. Apart from prohibitory orders, internet services too have been restricted in the Dharmanagar subdivision to prevent the spread of misinformation.

Meanwhile, Communist Party of India-Marxist, CPI(M), MLA Islamuddin, who represents Kadamtala in the state assembly, criticised the administration for its alleged failure to contain the violence. “The imposition of curfew had not restored calm as anticipated. Mobs had violated prohibitory orders, leading to further clashes,” he added.

The MLA also mentioned that Leader of Opposition, Jitendra Choudhuri had urged Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha to intervene and restore peace.

According to officials, Chief Minister Saha has been closely monitoring the situation and instructed the police to take stringent action against those responsible for the violence. Additional forces have been deployed to maintain order and prevent further escalation. Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman also called for peace, appealing to both communities to refrain from violence.

The police, however, is yet to release an official statement on the matter.