Agartala, Oct 23: Normal life across Tripura was disrupted on Thursday following a 24-hour statewide shutdown called by the Tiprasa Civil Society (TCS), an organisation affiliated with the Tipra Motha Party (TMP), in support of its eight-point charter of demands, including the deportation of illegal migrants.
According to officials, picketers staged sit-in demonstrations at more than 52 locations across the state and at two railway points in West Tripura and Khowai districts. “No untoward incident has been reported so far. The situation is under control,” a senior police officer said. Security was tightened with heavy deployment of the Tripura State Rifles (TSR) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
While attendance in government offices and banks remained largely normal, most private establishments, shops, and markets downed shutters. Vehicular movement on major roads, including National Highway-8—the state’s main lifeline—was severely affected as protesters blockaded several stretches.
The TCS, led by TMP MLA Ranjit Debbarma, called the bandh to press for demands such as implementation of the Tiprasa Accord, identification and deportation of illegal immigrants, establishment of detention camps in each district, elections to Village Committees under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), and introduction of an Inner Line Permit (ILP) system.
Debbarma said several BJP-ruled states had acted against illegal migrants, but Tripura had yet to follow suit despite directives from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Chief Minister Manik Saha criticised the shutdown, saying development cannot be halted by strikes and that such moves were meant only to attract media attention. CPI(M) leader Jitendra Chaudhury also opposed the bandh, calling the demands “unrelated to common people.”
The TMP, led by Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, joined the BJP-led coalition government in March 2024 and continues to push for its core demand—“Greater Tipraland”—and early TTAADC Village Committee elections.
