Tripura: Internet restored, curbs relaxed in violence-hit Kumarghat as situation improves

AGARTALA: With the situation improving, the district administration on Monday lifted the suspension of internet and mobile data services in Tripura’s Kumarghat subdivision of Unakoti district, while the prohibitory order under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) was relaxed and restricted only to vulnerable areas, officials said.

A senior police official said that so far, 11 persons from both communities have been arrested in connection with the clashes that broke out on January 10 over the collection of subscriptions for a local fair. The situation remained tense but largely peaceful in the mixed-population Kumarghat subdivision.

Unakoti District Magistrate Tamal Majumder said that internet and mobile data services, which were suspended on Saturday (January 10) following the violence, were restored on Monday. The prohibitory order imposed under Section 163 of the BNSS, 2023, on Saturday to prevent further escalation of tension and maintain law and order in the entire Kumarghat subdivision has now been reduced to only the Fatikroy police station areas, he said. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Manik Saha, who also holds the Home portfolio, while addressing a government function here, said that those who take the law into their own hands will not be spared. A delegation of the Communist Party of India (CPI) on Monday visited the incident site to assess the situation. However, when the delegation attempted to interact with the affected minority families and conduct an on-the-spot inspection, they were allegedly prevented by the police administration, triggering allegations.

According to police, trouble began on Saturday (January 10) when a group of youths stopped a timber-laden vehicle at Saidarpar under Fatikroy police station limits and demanded a subscription for a community fair. (IANS)

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