The Opposition Congress observed a 12-hour bandh at Kailashahar in Tripura’s Unakoti district on Wednesday, demanding that Kailashahar airport, which has been lying unused, be reopened and railway services ramped up.
The bandh was largely peaceful barring a few incidents where two lorries and a lorry driver were attacked.
Speaking to reporters, a senior police officer in Unakoti district said, “We had already told the political party to observe the bandh peacefully. We will take strict action if there is any violence or lawlessness. So far, there was no such incident except one where the windshield of a lorry was broken. The situation was under control.”
A lorry driver said that some unknown people broke the vehicle’s windshield when his vehicle entered Kailashahar.
“I was unaware of the strike in Kailashahar. I requested them not to break the glass. They even assaulted me. Even the police didn’t tell us about the strike,” said the driver.
Another lorry driver in Kailashahar said his vehicle was also targeted. “I didn’t even start my vehicle when some unknown people riding motorbikes broke the front glass of my lorry. I was going towards Agartala from Guwahati,” he said.
Speaking to indianexpress.com, local Congress MLA Birajit Sinha said the bandh was peaceful and successful. “We tried to raise these long-standing demands, especially since restarting Kailashahar airport is important for national security,” he said.
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Asked about the violence, Sinha said two vehicles were damaged outside Kailashahar town but that those incidents were not connected to the bandh.
Protesting against the bandh, the ruling BJP conducted a bike rally in Kailashahar.
“The Congress is creating confusion among people in the name of the strike. At a time when people do business ahead of Durga Puja, we have witnessed lawlessness in the entire city. People of Kailashahar witnessed the ransacking of vehicles and attacks on schools and colleges. People have already abandoned the Congress. We, the BJP, appealed to people not to pay any heed to them,” said a local BJP leader.
