The Tripura government on Tuesday ordered the suspension of Internet services for two days as protests against the Citizenship (Amendment Bill, 2016 turned violent in some areas.
Paramilitary soldiers opened fire in the air and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse an irate mob at the Bisramganj area in the Sepahijala district.
Several indigenous social organisations and student groups, at the behest of the Northeast Students Organisations (NESO), called for an indefinite strike in the region, against the adoption of the CAB in the Lok Sabha on Monday midnight.
Tension also broke out in the Kanchanpur and Manu areas in north Tripura, where paramilitary forces were deployed in strength to check the possible rift between tribal and non-tribal communities.
The Police arrested several hundred protesters across the State for violating public order and disrupting vehicular movement. Some policemen sustained injuries in stone-pelting incidents.
Fake news
The Tripura government has conceded that “rumours” led to the violent situation in an area in north Tripura. A.K. Bhattachariya, Additional Secretary, Government of Tripura, in a notification informed that fake news, videos and images had been shared through social media platforms with the intention to incite large-scale violence in the State, which created a potential threat to public safety.
The spate of anti-CAB strikes and a road blockade stir has been affecting normal life and business in the State for the past two weeks.
The notification also informed of the banning of Internet and SMS services of all telecom service providers from 2 p.m. on Tuesday for a period of 48 hours to “maintain peace and tranquility in society”.
Section 144
Meanwhile, the District Magistrates of all eight districts of the State promulgated Section 144 in vulnerable areas. All senior civil and police officials in the districts have been advised to remain available at their respective work places.
State government officials said the situation in the State was being monitored round the clock and additional security forces were ready for immediate deployment in troubled spots. Regular patrolling was taking place, and the intelligence gathering network had been activated in view of the current situation, they added.
