AGARTALA: The Student and youth fronts of the Opposition Left Front called a dawn to dusk Agartala bandh on Nov.14 Protest was by Jawans of the Assam rallies BSF and CRPF on the agitating non-gazette policemen.
At least 50 policemen, including some of the leaders, were injured in the lathi-charge and teargasing, the leader of the agitators, Prabir Das Choudhury, told newsmen here.
The agitating policemen were holding amass meeting in front of their quarters when Para-military forces lathi-charged them, he alleged.
The Para-military forces had also blocked Police Lines roads and staged a flag march all over the state in view of the tense situation.
The State Government has dismissed some of the agitating policemen from service, including Prabir Das Choudhury.
Gopal Das, member of the Joint action committee spearheading the indefinite strike by the policemen said that a DIG of the CRPF entered the Police Lines in the early hours on Friday and ordered them to disperse. Even before the policemen, numbering in hundreds, could take a decision they were lathi-charged and teargased.
The Director General of Police, M.D Sharma, went to the Police Lines and appealed to the agitating policemen to join duty or face immediate dismissal. However, the agitators, who were holding a meeting, replied by shouting anti Government slogans.
Meanwhile, the Tripura Government on Friday said that the ongoing agitation by the non-gazetted police personnel in the State has been incited by some political quarters.
Giving details of the pay structure, the spokesman said that many allowances, including washing, ration and special allowances had been recently enhanced.
The Government has decided to take stringent measures against the agitators as they have shown “utter irresponsibility” towards their duties he said.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 27, 1992
