Tripura: 25 injured in MGNREGA workers’ stir
TNT News
AGARTALA: Tension gripped many panchayats in Tripura on Monday centering hooliganism by the MGNREGA workers over issues related to their pending wages.
Hundreds of MGNREGA workers ransacked the Block Development Officer's office at Pecharthal RD Block in Dharmanagar Sub Division in Tripura North District over irregularity payment of their wages.
As per the latest reports, 25 people have been injured. Sec 144 CrPC has been imposed in Pecharthal RD Block.
The REGA workers including women blocked the road by sitting on chairs from the office and warned them to stick to their agitation till they receive their pending wages on their hand.
Getting the information, police personnel of the concerned police station and Tripura State Rifles (TSR) rushed to the spot and asked them to withdraw the agitation. As they did not pay any heed to their warning, the police resorted to lathi charge on the REGA workers and also blank fired in the air.
The agitated REGA workers also attacked the police officials which injured six police officials including Sub Divisional Police Officer. Accordingly, six more people were also injured due to the blank firing.
All the injured persons were brought to Kailasahar Hospital.
Among them, two police officials and two persons were referred to GBP Hospital due to their critical condition.
On the same issue, tension mounted at Gandacherra Sub Division due to the REGA wage deprivers. The entire hooliganism was reportedly masterminded by two local INPT leaders. Among them, police arrested one.
The duo leaders – Nakshatra Jamatia and Yuvraj Tripura along with hundreds of REGA workers stormed more or less all the banks to check their money and later swarmed the market to warn the shopkeepers to close their shops.
A section of customers crowded the market alleged that the angry mob threatened them to make the market thinner immediately. "They were carrying lathi, sharp weapons and asked us to vacate the market," one customer said.
A contingent of police headed by Superintendent of Police (SP) rushed to the spot sensing the boiling situation. The SP had received injuries while trying to bring the situation under control.
Speaking about the issue, Businessmen Samiti president Rabindra Das pointed his finger at Nakshatra Jamatia behind the ploy.
The police raided the locality in search of the duo leaders and after long time, they arrested Nakshatra in the late evening. They charged him under Section 120 (B)/121/147/149/223/427/395 of Indian Penal Code.
