Agartala (Tripura): Capital Agartala witnessed high drama on Wednesday as the ongoing protest by over 10,000 sacked teachers turned violent with prohibitory orders being imposed in the area under Section 144 of the CrPc.
According to eyewitnesses, violent confrontations erupted between police and agitating teachers, prompting the police personnel to fire tear gas cells and press in water cannons in response to consistent brick-pelting from the agitating teachers.
The scuffle left scores including security personnel injured. Most of them were discharged after primary treatment, barring nine persons who had reported serious breathing complications due to the tear gas.
The problem began to brew soon after District Magistrate West Tripura imposed section 144 CrPC in the Agartala Municipal Corporation areas in apprehension of imminent law and order crisis caused by the protesting teachers.
The police, according to the provisions of section 144 went to the spot of agitation and tried to clear the Agartala City Centre. The police first cordoned off the entire spot and urged the teachers to clear the spot.
However, teachers who were present at the agitation spot refused and remained adamant to stay there. Finally, the police detained around 100 teachers from the spot and dismantled the makeshift set up made by the teachers.
Read: Tripura Police dismantle sacked teachers' agitation, several detained
Rattled by the development, around 400 teachers gathered in front of Agartala City Centre and engaged in sloganeering. The teachers condemned the sudden police intervention and claimed that their right to hold a democratic protest was being curtailed.
The teachers also branded the step inhuman. The teachers sat on the road, some even laid down to prevent any vehicular movement. Noticing that their movement failed to leave much impact, the mob of ex-teachers then started moving towards the Chief Minister's official residence. On their way, the sacked teachers breached one police barricade put up by the police.
Senior police personnel and administrative heads then reached the spot. Inspector General of Police Arindam Nath, Superintendent of West Tripura Manik Das, SDM Ashim Saha along with SDPOs of all the circles of the city reached the spot to handle the situation.
The teachers said they wanted to meet the Chief Minister with their set of demands and also ask him why they were being forcefully evicted from the spot of agitation depriving them of exercising their democratic right to protest.
As the mob tried to breach the security net, the security personnel resorted to lathi-charge.
Eyewitnesses said the sacked teachers first overpowered a police barricade and stormed ahead.
According to reports, the mob of ex-teachers also resorted to mass vandalism. Altogether, four police vehicles including one hired bus to shift the agitators were vandalised. Two cars belonging to Additional Police Superintendent and SDPO Amtali were damaged during the clashes and one water cannon was partly damaged.
Read: Sacked teachers protest with body of colleague
Followed by the lathi-charge, the situation turned highly volatile after the teachers also tried to retaliate and started pelting stones and brickbats. The police responding to the increasing tension pressed water cannons in action and also fired tear gas shells.
After being overpowered, the mob retreated and once again returned to the City centre area. Another spell of violent confrontations between the security personnel and the protesters erupted there, followed by tear gas shelling and use of water cannons.
The situation finally came under control in the afternoon.
Sources in the police department said the action that was taken on Wednesday was based upon intelligence inputs and there were clear indications that the teachers might have chosen a violent way.
"A number of provocative speeches delivered by some of the leaders of 10,323 teachers come into the notice of the District Intelligence Bureau. The DIB shared the inputs with police and then the prohibitory orders were imposed," said AIG Law and Order Subrata Chakraborty.
He referred to the torch rally organised by the 10,323 teachers on January 26 night and said that a number of leaders of the Joint Movement Committee gave provocative speech.
He added that from their speeches, it could be easily figured out that they were planning something that could harm the peace.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference later in the evening DM and Collector West Tripura Dr Sailesh Kumar Yadav said, "The district administration has extended section 144 CrPc in the Agartala Municipal areas for next 48 hours observing the simmering tension that was palpable in the city areas after the entire violent episode."
Read: Agitating teachers in Tripura intensify stir, block road
Briefing about the entire episode at the DM's conference hall, Yadav said, "The city has witnessed a violent episode of direct scuffle between police and ex-teachers that has left as many as 87 persons injured. Among them, 70 are civilians and the rest are from police and TSR. In the scuffle, 6 women police personnel also sustained injuries."
Giving details of the incident, he said, as per specific intelligence inputs the district magistrate imposed prohibitory orders on Wednesday owing to which the assembly of ex-teachers at Agartala City Centre has been considered as an unlawful assembly. The administration made announcements of the orders through microphones in the area and a section of ex-teachers who were present at the area in the morning were detained. At that point of time, 153 teachers were detained, he said.
Later, he maintained, around 400 people gathered at the same place and started protesting. They headed towards Shyama Prasad Mukherjee breaking a police barricade.
According to Yadav, altogether four police vehicles that belonged to Additional SP west, SDPO Amtali, water cannon and a hired bus were vandalised by the mob and assessment of private property loss was going on.
The police once again arrested 58 people and shifted them to some space. However, the problem did not end as protesters once again gathered at Agartala City Centre and the crowd was dispersed using water cannon, he added.
