Three BSF Personnel, Youth Injured as Protest Over Detention Turns Violent in Tripura
Tension gripped the border areas under the Kalamchoura police station in Sonamura subdivision of Tripura's Sepahijala district on Monday after a clash between Border Security Force (BSF) personnel and local residents left three BSF personnel and a local youth injured. The police said they are investigating the incident.
One of the injured BSF personnel is an officer. All three were being treated at a government hospital in Agartala, the police said. The injured youth, who suffered a leg fracture, has also been admitted to hospital.
According to the police account, the clash broke out during a road blockade at the Ashabari locality, where residents were protesting the detention and alleged assault of a youth. Several women also joined the protest.
An officer and other personnel who reached the spot in a vehicle were involved in a heated altercation with the protesters, which escalated into a clash. The crowd also chased the BSF personnel when they attempted to retreat, the police said.
The police confirmed that three BSF personnel and a local youth had received multiple injuries. The injured were later shifted to the Tripura Medical College and BRAM Hospital on the outskirts of Agartala city.
The BSF has not issued an official statement on the incident. A security contingent comprising armed police personnel and Tripura State Rifles troopers has been deployed at the scene. Reports said the deployment helped restore normalcy in the area.
No arrests have been made so far, although two separate First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered at the local police station. The police have not yet made public the details of the FIRs or the circumstances in which the youth was detained and allegedly assaulted, which form part of the inquiry.
This is the second incident in the past year in which BSF personnel have come under attack in Tripura. In the earlier incident, four BSF troopers and an officer were injured when their vehicle was attacked at Bishalgarh market, also in Sepahijala district.
Security forces deployed in Tripura's border districts work alongside the state police, and disputes involving residents are ordinarily examined by the district administration and the police. Under Indian law, allegations of assault or use of excessive force by security personnel can be investigated by the police, and the force concerned can also hold its own internal inquiry.
Officials have not yet commented on what triggered the detention of the youth, or on the sequence of events that led to the confrontation. The identities of those injured have also not been released.
Residents of the Ashabari locality said they would await the outcome of the police investigation. Local administration officials said additional security has been stationed in the area to prevent further tension, and that efforts are on to restore calm.
The police have urged residents to maintain peace and to route grievances through official channels. Further details are awaited as the investigation is still under way.
