Tripura: 15 injured as rights wing groups clash with cops during protest rally

Around 15 people, including three security forces personnel, were injured after right wing groups clashed with the police at Udaipur in Tripura, on Thursday.

As per reports, activists of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) were disallowed by the police from taking out a procession in the Gomati district, about 50km from the state capital Agartala, against the recent attacks on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh.

A police officer said the VHP march was ordered to be stopped after authorities received information that it could lead to disruption of law and order but the protesters did not comply with the instructions.

Similar protest rallies were held at Agartala in West Tripura and Dharmanagar in North Tripura district the same day.

Speaking to indianexpress.com, Inspector General (Law and Order) Arindam Nath said three police personnel and other security forces sustained injuries after the protestors resorted to stone-pelting when their procession was halted.

"The scuffle took place between us and the police after they suddenly tried to obstruct us. Twelve of our protesters were injured after the police resorted to lathi-charge and all of them are admitted to hospital in Gomati district," Abhijit Chakraborty, a local RSS leader who joined the rally said.

Different organizations also held processions at Dharmanagar in North district apart from Agartala in West district on Thursday evening demanding punishment for the people involved in alleged attacks on minorities in Bangladesh.

The local administration has now imposed prohibitory orders in the area till Friday to avoid any other incident.

Meanwhile, the second Bangladesh Film Festival, scheduled to start in Agartala Thursday, was cancelled.

At least six people were killed and hundreds injured in communal violence and mayhem that took place during the Durga Puja celebrations in Bangladesh last week. Several incidents of attacks on places of worship of minority communities by unidentified Muslim men were reported from across the country.

According to PTI, the violence had erupted after an alleged blasphemy incident at a Durga Puja pavilion in Cumilla, bordering Chandpur and about 100 km from Dhaka, leading to the deployment of paramilitary forces in more than half of administrative districts.