TR-MADHABBARI-NESO-VISIT

A team of North East Student

Organisation (NESO) on Friday visited members of Twipra

Student Federation (TSF) who received bullet injuries during a

clash with police diring a Citizenship Amendment Bill protest

on Tuesday.

The team, led by All Assam Students Union (AASU)

Advisor Samujjwal Bhattacharyya, condemned the police firing

incident.

In Tripura, TSF is a constituent of NESO.

At least seven persons were injured on Tuesday at

Madhabbari in West Tripura district when police and

paramilitary jawans resorted to lathicharge and fired in the

air to disperse Citizenship Bill protesters.

In a press conference, Bhattacharya alleged that an

Emergency-like situation is prevailing in the state.

NESO had called North East Bandh on Tuesday to

protest the introduction of Citizenship Amendment bill, which

was later passed in the Lok Sabha.

TSF had set up a blockade on National Highway 8 at

Madhbabari as part of the strike. Of the injured, six were TSF

activists while one was a Trupura State Rifles official.

While five of the TSF activists were being treated in

G B Pant hospital, another injured was at Khumulwung hospital

near Madhabbari.

Bhattacharyya alleged that after visiting the injured

at GB Pant hospital they proceeded towards Khumulwung hospital

to see the other injured, but police stopped them.

"When we were going to the hospital, they stopped

us. It is uncalled for and not acceptable to us. An emergency

like situation is going on in Tripura. We express our

solidarity to TSF and we would come back to Tripura again,"

Bhattacharyya said.

He said that Citizenship Amendment Bill is communal

and the student body would continue to agitate on the issue.

"We met Home Minister, Joint Parliamentary Committee

(JPC) and requested them to visit NE India before placing

their recommendations on citizenship bill. None from JPC

visited any NE state and submitted the report. It is a

half-report and we have rejected it. North East India is not

dumping ground for illegal immigrants from Bangladesh,"

Bhattacharyya said.

The NESO chief advisor arrived in Agartala on Thursday

evening. He further alleged that an ambulance carrying the

wounded protesters was stopped by Tripura State Rifles (TSR)

jawans, who damaged the vehicle and beat up the injured.

He appealed the indigenous political parties of the

region to clarify stand on the subject.

NESO chairman Samuel Jyrwa, representatives of the

Khasi Students Union, Twipra Students Federation (TSF)

general secretary Sunil Debbarma and others were also present

in the press conference.