Clashes in Tripura over Citizenship Amendment Bill: TSR jawan, six students injured; Section 144 imposed at Madhabbari

Agartala: Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the  Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) have been clamped for an indefinite period at Tripura’s Madhabbari and adjacent areas, where at least seven people were injured when Citizenship Bill protesters clashed with police on Tuesday, according to a police official. Madhabbari sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Prankrishna Das said the police launched a search operation at Madhabbari and Dasharambari in Jirania police station of West Tripura district since Tuesday night during which one country made gun and a machete were recovered. “The situation is completely under control now,” the SDPO told PTI. [caption id=“attachment_4343907” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image of Tripura police personnel. Reuters[/caption] “The Assam Rifles and state police personnel have also been patrolling these areas to avoid any untoward situation,” Das said. Superintendent of police Ajit Pratap Singh said on Wednesday that an FIR has been lodged against three persons on the charge of rioting, but so far no one has been arrested. “The seven injured, some with gunshot wounds, in Tuesday’s incident included a Tripura State Rifles (TSR) personnel and six Twipra Student Federation (TSF) members who had blocked the Assam-Agartala National Highway at Madhabbari area to oppose the Bill,” Singh said. The TSF member, identified as Sumit Debbarma, who received a bullet injury on his back will be shifted to Kolkata due to deterioration of his condition, Dr Sulakkhana Mitra of the Trauma Care Centre in G B Pant Hospital said on Wednesday. “Five injured, including one TSR jawan, are admitted at G B Pant Hospital and one other is being treated at a local hospital in Jirania subdivision,” Mitra said. SMS and mobile Internet services remained suspended throughout the state till Wednesday while broadband services, though available, were very slow. NESO, a joint platform of eight student organisations, including the TSF, had called for 11-hour-long northeast bandh on Tuesday to protest against the move of the Central government to introduce the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 in the Parliament. The bill that seeks to provide Indian citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangaldesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan was passed by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.