Agartala: Ten people were arrested in connection with the communal clashes over the collection of donations for a local temple in Tripura‘s Unakoti district, police said on Sunday.
Superintendent of Police Avinash Kumar Rai said that four police personnel and six civilians were injured in the clashes.
The violence happened on Saturday in Saidarpar in the Kumarghat sub-division over the collection of ‘chanda’ or subscription for a local temple.
“Prohibitory orders under section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita remain in force in the area,” Rai said. “Internet service continues to remain suspended.”
Paramilitary forces are conducting foot patrols in sensitive areas and no fresh violence has been reported in the district, the police officer said.
The violence reportedly broke out after members of a local club intercepted a truck allegedly carrying smuggled timber and demanded money from the driver in the name of a festival. The situation escalated into an altercation when the driver refused to comply.
The incident subsequently sparked a political controversy, with Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government of failing to safeguard the lives and property of people belonging to the minority community.
ALSO READ: Prohibitory orders imposed in Tripura’s Kumarghat after violent clashes
State BJP president Rajib Bhattacharjee condemned the violence and lauded the police for acting against those responsible.
