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Bandh halts Tripura

Separate bandh calls by the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist-led Left front and the Opposition, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, to protest the spurt in extremist violence, threw life out of gear in Tripura on Monday.

Business establishments, educational institutions, banks and offices remained closed in response to the 24-hour bandh. Vehicles were off the road.

Security measures have been tightened and additional forces deployed in sensitive areas.

Tension prevailed in the vulnerable Khowai sub-division, where several rounds of ethnic violence have claimed at least nine lives in the past two days. A huge contingent of para-military and other security forces is maintaining vigil there.

A Left front statement said the bandh was in protest against the Centre's reluctance to despatch additional army and para-military forces to tackle militancy. When the state government demanded forces, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had withdrawn some battalions of the army and posted them in Kashmir, the statement alleged.

The Tripura BJP, in a separate statement, criticised the Left front for its alleged failure to curb militancy. They demanded President's rule, and urged that Governor Siddheswar Prasad be recalled.

The Congress, too, demanded President's rule. ''The Left front government has totally failed to curb militancy,'' its state president Gopal Roy said. He added that the party's eight hour sit-in demonstration in support of its eight point charter of demands has been deferred to October 23 in view of the bandh.

Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, who rushed to Agartala Sunday without attending a CPI-M rally in Calcutta, held high level meetings with cabinet colleagues and senior officials. He said the militants, frustrated at their lack of success in achieving their ulterior motive, had turned to attacking and killing innocent villagers.

Sarkar appealed to all sections to come forward and fight the machinations of the extremists and their collaborators. He requested everyone to co-operate fully with the authorities in maintaining peace.

Other political parties, including the Tripura Upajati Juba Samity, supported the bandh.

Meanwhile, police said armed militants kidnapped two people Sunday night from Takarjala in West Tripura. Security forces have launched a search operation.

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