Agartala: The former chief minister of Tripura, Manik Sarkar, said "irresponsible, baseless comments of few people" had fuelled an abnormal situation following the murder of a young boy at Bhumiheen Colony in Mohanpur sub-division.

Shortly after the murder of 11-year-old Purna Biswas on Tuesday, law minister Ratan Lal Nath visited the bereaved family and said an "international kidney smuggling racket" might be behind the death. The post-mortem report, however, revealed that no organ had been removed and Nath subsequently admitted his "mistake".

However, in a series of lynchings in West Tripura, Sipahijala and South Tripura districts, three persons were killed and several injured.

"An abnormal situation has been created centred on the gruesome murder of a teen at Bhumiheen Colony in Mohanpur sub-division on June 26. Some people made irresponsible and baseless comments on his murder. These comments fuelled the abnormal situation where strangers were suspected and physically tortured by local people", Sarkar said in a written statement. Such incidents were "undesirable", he said, and urged people to uphold peace and law and order.

"The police and administration must take positive and active steps", Sarkar said. He also demanded that the government provide compensation to families of the deceased and bear the expenses of treatment for the injured.

On Thursday, the government suspended SMS and all mobile Internet-based services to check rumour-mongering. PCC president Birajit Sinha filed a diary at Kailashahar police station against efforts to malign him on social media. One Anupam Paul wrote on Facebook that Manik Sarkar and Birajit Sinha were responsible for "planned murders" in Tripura.