Protests erupt on Assam-Agartala highway following arrests in Tripura communal tensions
Agartala, Aug 29: A day after Tripura Police arrested five individuals in connection with communal tensions in the Ranirbazar area of West Tripura district, protests broke out on the Assam-Agartala national highway on Thursday.
The protesters, demanding the immediate release of the arrested individuals, blocked the highway, leaving numerous vehicles stranded.
West Tripura Superintendent of Police Kiran Kumar confirmed to The Assam Tribune about the arrests.
"Five people are arrested. We are collecting information from the ground, and based on our investigation, arrests are being made," Kumar said.
Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury, who is also the local MLA, intervened to address the situation.
Despite facing resistance from the protesters, Chowdhury managed to negotiate the lifting of the blockade after assuring them that their concerns would be addressed.
The protesters, however, claimed that the real culprits were still at large and accused the police of arresting only individuals from the non-minority community, who they insisted were innocent.
“They should be released immediately. They haven’t been involved in anything. On the other hand, the police didn’t take any action against the people who had vandalised the idol of Kali. All of them should be released as soon as possible,” said one protester.
Following the highway blockade, the protesters also besieged the Ranirbazar police station, chanting slogans against the police and accusing them of partiality in the investigation.
Later, SP Kumar confirmed that the highway blockade had been lifted and traffic had returned to normal.
The arrests stemmed from a clash that erupted on August 25 following the desecration of a Kali idol in Kaiturabari, about 14 km from Agartala.
In response to the escalating situation, authorities imposed a 48-hour curfew under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
The violence resulted in minor injuries to several individuals, but the situation was eventually brought under control with the intervention of Tripura State Rifles and CRPF personnel.
