The statewide indefinite bandh called by tribal parties and organisations in Tripura against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill on Monday paralysed normal life in areas under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) which constitutes two-thirds of the state’s territory. However, it failed to evoke any response in areas outside the council.
Most government schools, offices, banks and financial institutions in the council areas remained closed and vehicles were off the roads.
The bandh failed to evoke any response in the non-tribal dominated capital city, towns and headquarters of eight districts. Schools and colleges remained open, attendances at the secretariat and other government offices were normal. Banks and financial institutions functioned normally and vehicles plied on the roads.
The additional inspector-general of police (law and order), Subrata Chakraborty, said no major untoward incident had been reported.
“We deployed a huge contingent of security forces, including, central paramilitary and Tripura State Rifles to tackle any untoward situation. Police arrested around 350 picketers for blockading highways and train tracks,” he told this correspondent.
The Joint Movement against Citizenship Amendment Bill, comprising tribal parties and indigenous organisations — including the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT), National Conference of Tripura (NCT), Tripura People’s Front (TPF), the Scheduled Tribe cell of the Congress and the Twipra Students’ Federation (TSF) — called an indefinite statewide strike against the bill.
INPT general secretary Jagadish Debbarma told this correspondent: “We were protesting in Agartala against the bill, but the police detained our party workers. It was a peaceful agitation. We will protest tomorrow too.”
The Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), a constituent of Tripura’s BJP-led government, on Monday called a 12-hour strike across the TTAADC and staged blockades on National Highway 8, state highways and tracks.
IPFT assistant general secretary Mangal Debbarma said they were protesting against the citizenship bill and demanded “Tipraland”, a separate state for the indigenous population of the state.
“The Centre should scrap the bill in Parliament. If it is implemented in Tripura then the crisis the tribal people face will increase. That is why it should not be implemented here. If today they pass the bill we will intensify our movement. Tipraland should be set up immediately; otherwise our identity will vanish,” he said.
Talking about the alliance with the BJP, Debbarma said if the bill is passed in Parliament, the IPFT would think whether they would continue the alliance with the BJP or not.
The Tripura United Indigenous People’s Council (TUIPC), an organisation of 48 former insurgents called a 50-hour Tripura bandh on Monday. Its convener, Ranjit Debbarma, said the bandh was successful.