Our Bureau
AGARTALA, November 22 2020: Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has warned legal action against circulation of images and videos over yesterday’s violence at Panisagar that left two dead and many injured. Appealing people to maintain social harmony he said sharing same would create perplexity in the society.
Tripura police has also issued similar warning. It added that a law order situation in the north Tripura being depicted as a communal issue.
A protester Srikanta Das, 45, killed in police firing and a fire service staff Biswajit Debbarma, 35, was lynched after violence broke out when thousands of protestors from Kanchanpur assembled at Chamtilla in Panisagar to block Assam Agartala national highway.
The protest spearheaded by Joint Movement Committee (JMC) is opposed to state government’s decision to settle some 5000 Bru refugees in Kanchanpur. It also enforced an indefinite strike in Kanchanpur which fell on seventh day Sunday.
All political parties and social groups condemned the violence that left 23 people including 15 policemen injured. Four of them shifted to GB Hospital here as their condition deteriorated.
Opposition parties demanded judicial probe into the incident and urged upon the government to open dialogue with the protestors.
Background
35,000 Bru or Reang refugees are housed in six makeshift camps in Kanchanpur since 1997 after influx started amid ethnic tension in neighbouring Mizoram.
Long stalemate amid failures of several repatriation attempts finally ended up with signing of a quadripartite agreement at New Delhi.
“A critical issue of the north-east has been settled with the help of the Tripura and Mizoram governments”, Union home minister Amit Shah had said after signing of the accord.
MHA will bear whole expenditure towards settlement of the evacuees and other benefits assured in the agreement. Each refugee family would get a plot of land, rations, fixed deposit of 4 lakh and a monthly stipend of 5000 for two years.
In addition they will also be provided 1.5 lakh each to construct houses. The agreement debars refugees from claiming rights in Mizoram and made them citizens of Tripura.
Tripura government has selected 12 places for rehabilitation of the refugees. One of the places falls in Kanchanpur - scene of current protest.
Protesting JMC argues that local residents have had suffered immensely from economic engagements to land rights to law & order problem during years of stay of the refugees in the area. Hence they are demanding their settlement beyond Kanchanpur.
State government sources said different places selected for rehabilitation of the refugees and if Kanchanpur is taken out then similar protest would erupt elsewhere thus will create a mess in the whole process.