7 arrested so far in connection with Oct 23 Tripura bandh violence: Police

Agartala, Nov 1 (PTI) Five more persons were arrested for their alleged involvement in Santirbazar violence in Tripura’s Dhalai district, in which 10 people, including three government officials, were injured, police said on Saturday.

Violence had broken out during a statewide bandh on October 23, called by the Tripura Civil Society (TCS) in support of an eight-point charter of demands, including the immediate implementation of the Tiprasa accord.

The Tipra Motha Party (TMP), an ally of the BJP-led coalition government, signed an accord with the Centre and the state government in February last year to address the problems of the indigenous people.

"Five persons were arrested by police for their alleged involvement in the Santirbazar incident on Friday. They will be produced before a local court," police spokesperson Joydeep Deb said.

Earlier, two persons had been arrested in connection with the case and are currently in judicial custody, he said.

A delegation headed by Animal Resource Development (ARD) Minister Sudhangshu Das visited Santirbazar on Friday to assess the situation following the violence.

"We visited Santirbazar to assess the ground situation. Many shops were gutted and miscreants looted goods from the shops. Some people, including the block development officer (BDO) and an engineer of Salema RD Block, were injured in the violence during the bandh", he told the reporters. PTI PS MNB