Shops Closed, Streets Deserted As Tipra Motha's 12-Hr Bandh Puts Normal Life Out Of Gear In Tripura

Tipra Motha's Tripura badh on Saturday affected the daily lives of people in the northeastern state as many shops, businesses remained closed while streets wore a deserted look.

A 12-hour bandh called by Tripura's main opposition party, Tipra Motha to press for an "early constitutional solution" to the demand for 'Greater Tipraland' statehood severely affected the normal life in the tribal areas of the northeastern state on Saturday. The regional party called the bandh in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) and party supremo Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma on Friday urged party leaders to observe the proposed September 30 bandh in the tribal district council area peacefully and make it a success.

Due to the strike, all offices, educational institutes and shops in the TTAADC areas were closed while commuters faced problems including on the Assam-Agartala national highway as bandh supporters put up road blockades in several key locations, PTI reported.  Train services as well as long-route buses were also impacted due to the bandh. However, flights operated normally from Agartala.

Heavy police presence was seen at various locations to prevent any untoward incident. Protesters burnt tyres on roads demanding 'Greater Tipraland'.

According to the news agency, in Agartala and other non-tribal areas of the state, shops, markets and offices were open. The state government had asked all offices to function normally, however, TTAADC saw a complete shutdown as people stayed home and businesses remained closed, as per a Northeast Now report.

"The bandh is peaceful in the autonomous district council areas with bandh supporters staging road blockades in 70/80 locations amidst tight security. There has been no report of any violence till the report last came in", Assistant Inspector General (AIG), Law & Order, Jyotishman Das Chowdhury told PTI.

"The 12-hour bandh in the autonomous district council has been successful and peaceful. The road connectivity came to a grinding halt in non-tribal council areas too. No train was allowed to cross the autonomous district council areas", senior Tipra Motha leader Jagadish Debbarma told reporters in West Tripura district.

Debbarma, the chairman of TTAADC, asserted that the Tipra Motha called the strike to put pressure on the Centre for an early constitutional solution to the problems of indigenous people. "We want the Centre to form Greater Tipraland by inclusion of TTAADC areas as well as indigenous people living in non-TTAADC areas for survival of the native tribes of the northeastern state", he added.

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