Agartala: Nearly 19 months after it signed a tripartite agreement with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government, the TIPRA Motha Party now stands accused of having orchestrated violence in the state. Ironically, the allegation comes from its own coalition partner, the BJP, ever since an October 23 statewide bandh turned violent.

The bandh, called by Tiprasa Civil Society, also led by TIPRA Motha MLA Ranjit Debbarma, was to press for eight key demands, including the full implementation of the Tiprasa Accord signed in March 2024. Other demands included introduction of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Tripura and the identification and deportation of "illegal Bangladeshi immigrants" in the state.

During the bandh, there were brutal attacks in Shantirbazar village, about 100 kilometres from state capital Agartala. Government officials and functionaries were left fighting for their lives, forcing authorities to impose restrictions on movement in an entire sub-division. Block Development Officer Abhijit Majumder and engineer Animesh Saha, injured when clashes broke out, required emergency transfer to the GB Pant Hospital in Agartala for treatment.

The Tiprasa Civil Society also demands action on land rights within the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) areas, recognition of indigenous languages and immediate clearance of pending bills passed by the TTAADC. Its bandh began peacefully on the morning of October 23, with supporters burning tyres in front of the North Gate area in Agartala and organising sit-in demonstrations at over 52 key locations and highways across the state.

However, Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha later blamed TIPRA Motha workers for "premeditated assault". The charge of premeditation was based on "evidence" such as bandh guidelines posted on a Facebook page, Tipra Dopha, with the disclaimer: "If anything happens to you, we will not be responsible!" This message was shared by Debbarma. The administrator of the Facebook page removed this sentence on October 23, the day of the bandh.

Yet it would seem that the sentence served as both an advance warning to the administration – absolving organisers of responsibility – while simultaneously conditioning participants to expect and participate in violence.

Disruptions during the bandh extended beyond street-level protests and tyre-burning. The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) routes were cancelled or failed to complete their journeys, including four key express services. Railway tracks were blocked at several places from early morning by bandh supporters, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.

Bandh supporters snatched the keys of the motorbike of a doctor en route to Tripura Medical College, highlighting the scale of disruption that extended to individual acts of coercion.

The BJP's public accusations against its ally, combined with opposition leaders characterising the situation as internal coalition disputes, created an extraordinary spectacle where no political party defends the bandh yet the ruling coalition remains intact.

Since it was formed in March 2024, the BJP-TIPRA Motha alliance has been punctuated by repeated withdrawal threats from Debbarma. Violent clashes between supporters have left BJP offices torched and workers hospitalised, amid growing discontent from another ally, the IPFT, which supported the October 23 bandh.

Truck torched, shops vandalised

The October 23 violence erupted across multiple locations, with the most severe incidents reported from Shantirbazar market in Kamalpur sub-division of Dhalai district where, apart from the government officials injured, a six-wheeler truck was burnt and multiple shops were vandalised, as well as Mungiakami in Khowai district.

The bandh, originally scheduled as a 12-hour strike on October 13, was postponed due to Diwali festivities and rescheduled for October 23, coinciding with Bhai Phonta celebrations.

While TIPRA Motha has not officially acknowledged any organisational connection to Tiprasa Civil Society, the fact that the bandh was led by Debbarma, a sitting TIPRA Motha MLA representing Ramchandraghat assembly constituency, has drawn sharp criticism from across the political spectrum. Debbarma is also former chief of the banned All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) insurgent group.

Lathi charges, CRPF deployment, a market under siege

In Shantirbazar, what began as bandh enforcement deteriorated into coordinated violence that shocked even seasoned administrators. BDO Majumder and engineer Saha were attacked by mobs wielding sharp weapons and slingshots. Majumder's gold chain was also snatched by the attackers.

District Magistrate Vivek H.B. confirmed to The Wire on October 24: "The situation is now under control. As per the report from the district hospital, three TSR [Tripura State Rifles] personnel have been injured and one civilian also got injured. They have been taken to the district hospital and are receiving proper treatment.”

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The situation in Shantirbazar became so volatile, DIG Rati Ranjan Debnath told The Wire on October 24, that the force had to enforce 2-3 lathi charges to control the situation. “It is now under control,” he said, adding, “Today, we have restricted entry into the market to prevent further conflicts, and the TSR, police and CRPF [Central Reserve Police Force] personnel have also been deployed,” he added.

Syamal Das, a truck owner and Salema resident, confirmed to The Wire that his truck was burnt down by a mob: “Everything was normal the whole day. Due to some conflict in the evening, an outraged mob set fire to the truck, and also clashed with [government] officials.”

Violent clashes erupted in Mungiakami when a group of alleged TIPRA Motha supporters attacked the BJP's ‘shakti kendra’, injuring 20 to 30 party workers.

Sub-division under restrictions after violence spirals

The severity of the situation prompted the district magistrate to issue an order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) on the evening of October 23, imposing restrictions within Kamalpur sub-division until further orders.

The order said that there were reports of scattered incidents of clashes in the wake of the bandh called by some political parties and organisations, and noted that restrictions were necessary to prevent danger to human life, public property and tranquility.

Chief minister's ominous warning

Chief Minister Saha responded swiftly and forcefully to the violence. On October 23, he wrote on his official Facebook page, "We strongly condemn the violent attack by TIPRA Motha supporters on Shri Abhijit Majumdar (BDO, Salema), Engineer Shri Animesh Saha, and residents of Shantirbazar, Dhalai District. Such acts of violence are unacceptable. The administration is directed to take swift and strict action against those responsible."

His explicitly naming TIPRA Motha supporters signalled a significant rift between coalition partners who share power in the state government.

On the morning of October 24, the chief minister visited the GB Pant Hospital to meet the injured officials and a trader, Subrata Pal.

He later told the media, "The Shantirbazar incident is a stain on the name of the movement. They will certainly be punished – no one will be spared."

He also said, "What kind of movement is this? The way life-threatening attacks have been carried out with sharp weapons, sticks, slingshots in the name of movement is condemnable."

He warned, "No community, tribal or non-tribal, will support such incidents. Everyone involved will be brought under the law and punished. No one will be spared. Action will be taken against them. After a few more days they will not be found anywhere. They have threatened and warned before. But such life-threatening attacks will be answered."

Tripura LoP: a 'husband-wife dispute'

The opposition parties, while condemning the violence, presented a different narrative about the political dynamics behind the bandh.

On October 23, Leader of Opposition and CPI(M) politburo member Jitendra Chaudhary said, "TIPRA Motha's call for a 24-hour bandh under the name of Tiprasa Civil Society is nothing but a family dispute between TIPRA Motha and BJP. Just like disputes between husband and wife, they will create a ruckus in the morning and, in the evening, they'll reconcile and go about their daily lives. Unfortunately, it's the common people who bear the brunt of their internal issues.”

Similarly, Congress MLA from Agartala, Sudip Roy Barman, offered an equally critical assessment on October 23, saying, "A section of TIPRA Motha leadership has called the bandh in the name of the civil society of Tripura. This is a new attempt to fool tribal people ahead of village committee elections. The central government is deceiving tribal communities. A tripartite agreement has been signed between the central government, state government and TIPRA Motha. Nothing in the agreement has been implemented yet.”

“A bandh against the government while being in government – this is duplicity. A conspiracy is going on in this way," Sudip Roy Barman added.

Every promise followed by threat

The bandh and violence represent only the latest flashpoint in an alliance marked by repeated conflicts and disagreements. In July 2024, MLA Debbarma threatened to withdraw support from the coalition government over unfulfilled promises related to the "greater Tipraland" demand and the March 2024 accord. However, within days, he contradicted this statement, creating confusion about the party's stance and revealing internal differences.

Similarly, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the state on September 20 to inaugurate the Tripureshwari Temple, none of TIPRA Motha's MLAs, MDCs or members of the erstwhile royal family were invited.

MLA Debbarma termed the incident "discourteous and unacceptable," warning that if it continued, his party would be "forced to reconsider its ties with the BJP."

In October 2024, Debbarma again threatened to quit the alliance if rights promised to tribal communities were not granted within a specified timeframe.

Each of these threats was followed by temporary de-escalation, but the underlying tensions have continued to simmer, manifesting in violent clashes between supporters of both parties across the state.

BJP office torched, workers beaten

The violence on October 23 was part of a disturbing pattern of clashes between supporters of the coalition partners.

In Mandwi, TIPRA Motha supporters allegedly torched a BJP office on September 23, causing damages estimated between eight to ten lakh rupees. The incident involved complete destruction of party materials, furniture and infrastructure, marking one of the most destructive attacks on BJP property since the alliance was formed.

In Asharambari, nearly 30 BJP functionaries had assembled to listen to Modi's monthly “Mann Ki Baat” radio program on July 27 when a large group of TIPRA Motha workers arrived and violence erupted. Nine BJP workers sustained injuries as attackers used lathis, daos (sharp-edged weapons) and sticks. Several motorcycles and two cars belonging to BJP functionaries were vandalised.

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Two months later, on September 20, 2025, at least four people including BJP Janajati Morcha vice-president Mangal Debbarma were injured when TIPRA Motha supporters attacked them in West Tripura district's Hezamara. The BJP had planned to distribute pachras (traditional dress of tribal women) with Member of Parliament Biplab Kumar Deb scheduled to attend.

Each incident has been followed by accusations and counter-accusations, with BJP leaders alleging pre-planned attacks and TIPRA Motha maintaining distance from officially acknowledging involvement while its workers remained implicated in violence.

Chief minister's slip of tongue 

Adding another layer of complexity to the coalition crisis, the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), another BJP ally, extended moral support to the October 23 bandh. This, again, highlighted the growing discontent within the coalition, coming as it did soon after a controversial incident during the chief minister's campaign rally in Bihar.

On October 18, Saha, while describing Tripura's success in tackling insurgency, mistakenly grouped the IPFT with banned terrorist organisations such as the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NFLT) and ATTF. He said that organisations like these had been brought into the mainstream through negotiations and peace accords. Saha apologised on October 19 and clarified that IPFT had always been a democratic political organisation.

However, both events – the IPFT supporting the bandh and the severity of the violence on October 23 – suggest that the situation may have escalated beyond manageable political posturing into an event that might test the BJP's alliance management skills in coming days.

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