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Five tribal political parties call TTAADC bandh today

By Correspondent

AGARTALA, Jan 11 - Five indigenous political parties in Tripura have called a 12-hour bandh in Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) on Saturday in protest against the police firing at Madhabbari in West Tripura district on Tuesday last.

At least six persons and one TSR jawan were injured in clashes between security personnel and bandh supporters and police firing during the bandh called by NESO triggering widespread tension among the people. The TTAADC area constitutes two-third of the State territory and home to indigenous people, who constitute one- third of the population.

The parties, who have called the bandh, include Indigenous People�s Front of Tripura (IPFT-Tipraha group), Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT), Twipra State Party (TSP), National Conference of Tripura (NCT) and Tripura People�s Party (TPP).

�We have decided to observe a twelve-hour bandh in TTAADC area on a four-point charter of demands including an inquiry by a sitting judge of High Court and compensation of Rs 25 lakh to each victim�, said Jagadish Debbarma, general secretary of INPT.

Debbarma in presence of the leaders of other parties said, �Police opened unprovoked firing and we have demanded judicial probe by a sitting High Court judge so that the truth is unveiled�.

The Tripura Government Thursday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the violence at Madhabbari in West Tripura district and extended the ban on SMS and mobile internet services in the State.

Meanwhile, Samujjal Bhattacharyya, chief adviser to All Assam Students Union (AASU) alleged that an �Emergency like situation� is prevailing in Tripura.

Bhattacharyya, who arrived here along with five leaders of NESO said that after visiting the injured persons at GB Pant hospital they proceeded towards Khumulwung hospital to see the other injured, but police resisted them citing 144 CrPC was clamped in the area.

�When we were going to the hospital, they stopped us. It is uncalled for and not acceptable to us. An emergency like situation is going on in Tripura. We express our solidarity to TSF and we would come back to Tripura again�, Bhattacharyya said at a press conference here on Friday.

He said that Citizenship Amendment Bill is communal and the student body would continue to agitate on the subject. �We met Union Home Minister, Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) and requested them to visit NE before placing their recommendations on Citizenship Bill. None from JPC visited any NE State and submitted the report. It is a half-report and we have rejected it. North East is not dumping ground for illegal immigrants from Bangladesh�, Bhattacharyya said.

The AASU adviser also strongly criticised police action on protesters during Madhabbari clashes and said the law enforcement agencies took �barbaric� steps.

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