Anti-Citizenship Amendment Bill strike, protests disrupt life in Tripura

Situation peaceful and several protesters arrested, police said

Strike calls and protests on Monday against the introduction of the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) in the Lok Sabha severely disrupted normal life and business mainly in areas under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC). Vehicular movement on the Assam-Agartala national highway and train services were also affected.

At least 10 teachers of the Ratanpur and the Birchandrapur high schools in Khowai district received injuries in attacks allegedly by supporters of the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) — which is an ally of State’s ruling BJP. They were discharged after treatment in the district hospital.

The IPFT enforced a 12-hour general strike in the TTAADC protesting against the CAB. The Joint Movement against Citizenship Amendment Bill (JMACAB), a conglomeration of indigenous forums and student groups, gave a call for an indefinite strike across the State.

The Tripura United Indigenous Peoples Council (TUIPC) led by former extremist leader Ranjit Debbarma called a 50-hour bandh in the TTAADC. The strike call of the organisations commenced on Monday morning.

The bandh supporters created blockades at various points on important roads and the Assam- Agartala national highway. Security forces were deployed in large numbers.

Except incidents in the two schools, the situation was peaceful, police said. Several protesters were arrested, they added.

The Tripura University and the Maharaja Bir Bikram University cancelled all examinations slated for Monday in view of the situation. Schools also declared a holiday as a precautionary measure.

All indigenous political parties, student groups and forums in Tripura have resorted to street protests against the CAB as they fear that it would encourage more infiltration from across the border. They argue that Tripura has been the only State in the northeast where indigenous population have been reduced to minority due to a massive influx of non-tribal population from East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.