Continuing tension between supporters of the TIPRA (The Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance) and the BJP in interior districts of Tripura has left one person dead. Police recovered the body of a BJP supporter from inside bushes at a locality in Chawmanu of Dhalai district on Tuesday morning.
The victim has been identified as Rana Mohan Tripura,a resident of Devendra Roaja Para. His body bore multiple cut injuries.
Family members said Rana Mohan, father of three children, went out of home on Monday night and did not return. Some villagers spotted his body lying inside bushes and informed the police.
Local BJP leaders alleged that he was mowed down by activists of TIPRA, a regional party floated by State’s royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarman. The party registered a massive win in the recent elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), which has limited authority over three-fourth lands of the State.
Campaign on ‘Greater Tipraland’ plank
Many incidents of violence, intimidation and targeted attack occurred across the State after TIPRA wrested power in the TTAADC with its aggressive campaigning on ‘Greater Tipraland’ plank. The CPI(M) and the IPFT (Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura), BJP’s coalition partner, saw a complete rout, while the BJP could manage to win nine out of 28 seats.
Several people have sustained injuries in recent incidents of clashes between supporters of TIPRA and the BJP at some interior places of Dhalai, Khowai and south Tripura districts. A woman supporter of TIPRA was murdered on the day of election results in south Tripura and the BJP has claimed it has lost a worker in a targeted murder incident in Dhalai district.
TIPRA has conceded that some ‘untoward incidents’ occurred but refused to take any responsibility. It held ‘infiltrators’ responsible for the confrontation with rival parties.
