Agartala, Aug 03, 2024, By Our Correspondent
Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha is scheduled to visit the affected areas of Gandacherra on Sunday at 11:40 am. The visit comes a day after Opposition Leader and CPM MLA Jitendra Chaudhary publicly urged the Chief Minister to inspect the situation. A strong security presence has been planned to ensure safety during the visit.
Dr. Saha will meet with the affected families to assess the situation firsthand. Although normalcy has returned to the area with government establishments, schools, and markets functioning, reports indicate that tension still lingers in some parts. Senior police officers visited Gandacherra on Saturday to prepare for the Chief Minister's visit and evaluate the situation.
Despite the government's announcement of assistance for the affected families, allegations of inadequate support persist. Around 400 people from 165 families are still residing in relief camps.
Earlier, Leader of Opposition in the Tripura Assembly and CPI-M state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury led a delegation to Gandacherra. During the visit, Chaudhury demanded an impartial investigation into the violence through a Special Investigating Team (SIT) led by a senior-ranking police officer. He described the violence as pre-planned, involving large-scale attacks, arson, and looting, which even targeted livestock.
Chaudhury criticized the state administration for failing to help the affected people return to their villages and for not providing basic assistance to those in relief camps. He accused the ruling BJP of criminalizing politics and allowing ethnic violence and other crimes to escalate since 2018. He claimed that, instead of arresting the perpetrators, the police have been targeting the victims, contributing to increased lawlessness.
The Tripura Human Rights Commission (THRC) expressed shock and dismay over the ethnic violence in Ganda Twisa. The Commission served notice to the Director General of Police and the District Magistrate of Dhalai district, emphasizing that inaction or negligence by public servants in preventing human rights violations is actionable. The Commission has requested a preliminary report within three weeks for further action.
In response to the violence, the Tripura government has sanctioned Rs 6 lakh for Kharagaram Reang, father of Parameshwar Reang, and Rs 1.54 crore for financial assistance to 165 affected families. Additionally, immediately after the violence, the district administration provided interim relief of Rs 25,000 to each affected family.