AGARTALA, Sept 2 - Barring some stray incidents, normal life in Left-ruled Tripura was paralysed during the 24-hour nationwide bandh called by the central trade unions on Wednesday.
The office of Sub Divisional Judicial Magistrate was vandalised and police on duty attacked at Sabroom in South Tripura district. Sanjit Sen, Officer-in-Charge of Sabroom Police Station, suffered injuries during the attack by bandh supporters and was shifted to a nearby hospital for medical attention.
The picketers were led by CPIM MLA Rita Kar Majumdar, according to eyewitnesses. Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Francis Darlong and SDJM Sourav Saha were also injured in the attack by bandh supporters.
Additional police force have been deployed in and around Sabroom town to diffuse the tension. Senior police officials led by DIG Uttam Majumdar also rushed to the spot.
At Teliamura in Khowai district, former NLFT chief Nayanbasi Jamatia, who was picketing on the road in support of the bandh, attacked the locals with sharp cutting weapon. Later, he was beaten up by the people. Police rescued and arrested the former militant leader.
In the capital, shutters of shops were down, markets remained closed and vehicles � buses, small and medium vehicles, auto-rickshaws and even battery-operated rickshaws remained off the roads in response to the 24-hour strike. Except some two-wheelers, the roads were deserted. The transport workers and CPIM activists also organised rallies across the State in support of the bandh.
Schools, colleges, financial institutions and educational institutions were closed and no attendance was registered in government offices including the Civil Secretariat.
The strike called by the central trade unions was to press for their demands, including increasing minimum wage to Rs 15,000, trade unions� representation in the process of labour reforms and equivalent wage to contract workers with their regular counterparts.
Buses between Tripura and other Northeastern States were also hit. The strike had badly hit trade between Tripura and Bangladesh.
Picketing was witnessed in the railway station and High Court by the activists and supporters of ruling CPIM. However, the airport functioned normally and plane services were not affected.
According to police, the bandh was peaceful in and around the city. No untoward incident was reported from anywhere. Various other employees unions extended their support to the strike.
The strike was spontaneous and total, said CPIM State unit secretary Bijan Dhar this evening.
