AGARTALA,(PTI):Altogether 50 persons, including 30 SPI-M supporters and 20 policemen were injured when Left Party workers in north-eastern Tripura went on the rampage during their “jail Bharo” movement on June 18, leading to a baton-charge and police firing and the arrest of over 50,000 party workers, who defied section 144 statewide,
Police fired in the air at Dharm nagar in north Tripura after a baton-charge failed to disperse thousands of Left Party supporters, while four policemen were injured in stoning by a mob at Kamalpur.
Police claimed that no party supporter was injured in the firing, but 16 policemen were injured in brick batting, while the CPI-M said opposition chief Whip Samar Choudhury, MLA, and another legislator, Faizur Rahman were injured in the Lathi-charge and two others in the police firing.
Leader of the opposition Dasrath Deb and CPI-M Politburo member and former chief minister, Nripen Chakrabarty, however, did not court arrest.
Claiming that the movement was “peaceful” and “a flop,” chief minister Samir Ranjan Burman said 50 persons; including Left Party supporters and policemen were injured in the violence at Dharam nagar and Kamalpur. The CPI-M, on the other hand claimed that the movement was” a total success” and said “by participating in the jail Bharo movement in such a massive way the people have shown their lack of confidence in the coalition ministry headed by Burman,” Prohibitory orders under section 144 CR PC have been declared all over the north-eastern Indian state of Tripura in view of the opposition-sponsored “Jail Bharo”™ movement in the state, according to official sources.
The order will remain in force for an indefinite period. Carrying of arms, assembling of more than five persons, meetings and processions have been banned during the period, the sources added.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 3, 1992
