Tension in Tripura town over SFI-ABVP clash, 20 injured

From A Correspondent

Agartala, June 14: Police resorted to lathi charge to disperse a mob led by BJP state president Biplab Deb at Teliamura, a commercial town in western Tripura that witnessed series of demonstration and violent clashes between supporters of rival student unions.

At least 20 people including the president of the BJP Mahila Morcha president Kalyani Roy and a woman police officer sustained injuries and had to be admitted in hospital.

The tension reached at its peak on Wednesday at around 11 am when BJP president Biplab Deb, vice-president Subal Bhowmik and other leaders reached Teliamura to participate in a demonstration demanding immediate arrest of SFI workers responsible for assaulting ABVP supporters on Tuesday in front of Teliamura college.

Police resorted to lathi charge when the demonstrators tried to break the barricade and to enter into the police station. Senior police officials present there tried to pursue the demonstrators with an assurance of appropriate step but all went in vain.

Subal Bhowmik said a group of anti-socials led by SFI attacked the ABVP supporters in a pre-planned manner and injured them. He alleged that the police took no action and instead helped the SFI supporters to flee from the scene when the ABVP supporters tried to resist them.  

The tension started on Tuesday when the supporters of rival students union SFI and ABVP gathered in front of the Teliamura Degree College and tried to control admission process of the new students. It is alleged that three ABVP supporters were assaulted in front of the college.

In the evening the ABVP supporters took out a procession that travelled through different streets and then went in front of the police station demanding immediate arrest of the SFI workers accused of assaulting ABVP supporters.

Receiving the information the SFI supporters also rushed into the spot that ensued a clash and both the sides pelted stones to each other spreading fear among the traders and local inhabitants.

The incident caused a serious dislocation as the vehicular movement got stopped on the tiol highway passed through Teliamura and hundreds of trucks, busses and small cars got stranded.