Communal tension in West Tripura as houses burnt and looted, troops deployed

The Central Reserve Police Force and Tripura State Rifles platoons were deployed after violence broke out in two localities in Jirania subdivision of West Tripura due to an alleged defacement of an idol of goddess Kali. State Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury, who is also the local MLA, helped to contain the situation on the ground.

Twelve houses were burned down, three shops were looted and a place of worship was damaged. Around 15 displaced families were given shelter in a government school.

West Tripura district magistrate Vishal Kumar said the police were working to identify the culprits and the situation was under control due to the heavy presence of security forces. Mr. Kumar and the district Superintendent of Police attended a peace meeting on Monday afternoon with members of different communities, where he assured an investigation and financial assistance for those affected.

Muslim organisations have also appealed for peace and called for a thorough investigation to identify the troublemakers as well as demanding compensation for the victims. TIPRA Motha has been the only party in the three-party coalition government of the State to speak out about the incidents in Jirania.

“When our State is facing a natural disaster (floods) and so much stress, there are some elements who are only playing religious politics,” TIPRA founder and royal scion Pradyot Kishore Manikya commented on social media.

Mr. Pradyot earlier stated that he received calls from many people for security and requested immediate action from the police. He emphasised that regardless of their faith, miscreants must be dealt with firmly and that the law must be neutral to all.

The trouble began when the idol was allegedly defaced at a small temple in Kaiturbari, Ranir Bazar area, 13 kilometres east of Agartala, on Sunday night leading to tension between two communities. Eyewitnesses reported that dozens of youths on bikes entered Kaiturbari and Durga Nagar localities during the night, shouting slogans and setting fire to houses and looting. Two people were injured in the attacks.

Minister Chowdhury and his supporters rushed to the area and prevented further damage. Senior police officials also arrived at the scene and Section 163 of the BNSS was imposed in Jirania to prevent further escalation.

The main opposition party CPI(M) described the tension in Jirania as a result of a conspiracy to disturb communal harmony in the State. A party delegation met with Chief Secretary J.K. Sinha on Monday to demand adequate deployment of forces and arrest of the perpetrators.