Journalist killed while covering IPFT agitation

Agartala, September 20

A journalist from a local TV news channel here was on Wednesday abducted and killed in West Tripura district while covering the agitation and road blockade by the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), the police said.

Superintendent of Police of West district, Abhijit Saptarshi said Santanu Bhowmick, a journalist from 'Dinrat' news channel, was covering the agitation and road blockade by the IPFT at Mandai when he was hit from behind and abducted.

Later, Bhowmick was found with serious stab injuries and was rushed to Agartala Medical College and Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, the SP said.

Tripura Health Minister Badal Chowdhury condemned the killing and state Information Minister Bhanulal Saha visited the hospital.

The SP said the situation at Mandai was tense. Prohibitory orders under section 144 Crpc were already in force in the area and more police forces were being rushed there, he said.

Over a hundred activists of the Gana Mukti Parishad (GMP), the tribal wing of the ruling CPI-M, were injured in a clash with the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) at Chhankhola area of Khowai district, about 40 km from Agartala, on Tuesday.

Khowai Superintendent of Police Nagendra Debbarma told reporters that the clash took place when the Parishad supporters gathered at the bus stand at Khowai town to travel to Agartala for a GMP rally.

The IPFT workers attacked the GMP activists with sticks and iron rods and injured at least 118 of them, six seriously, and damaged at least 15 buses.

Personnel from the Tripura State Rifles and Assam Rifles were deployed in sensitive areas of the district and prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC imposed in Tulashikhar and Rajnagar apprehending breach of peace, the SP said. PTI