Agartala, Nov 23 (PTI) A bandh called by the oppositionBJP and the Congress today to protest against the killing of ajournalist allegedly by a constable of the Tripura StateRifles saw clashes in which 11 workers of different politicalparties were injured, police said.
Barring 'Daily Desher Katha', the mouthpiece of theruling CPI-M, all other newspapers left their editorialcolumns blank today in protest against the killing.
Shops and markets were closed and vehicles were off theroads in the state in view of the bandh, they said.
Schools, colleges, banks and financial institutions alsoremained closed and attendance was poor in the governmentoffices, the police said.
Superintendent of police (police control) HarkumarDebbarma said of the 11 injured workers, six were of the BJP,three of the Congress and the rest two belonged to the rulingCPI-M.
He said, seven were injured at Pratapgarh here in a clashamong the supporters of the CPI-M, BJP and Congress.
He said another three BJP supporters were injured in aclash with the CPI-M supporters at Boxanagar in Sipahijaladistrict and one BJP supporter was injured at Kukicherra insouth Tripura district.
A vehicle carrying a patient was damaged by the BJPsupporters at Nalua in south Tripura district, the SP said.
The BJP called a dawn-to-dusk bandh demanding a CBIinquiry and resignation of Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, whilethe Congress called a 24-hour bandh in support ofinvestigation by the CBI into the killing of Sudip DattaBhaumik, a reporter of a Bengali daily 'Syandan Patrika'.
Bhaumik, working with Bengali newspaper 'Syandan Patrika,was gunned down on Tuesday following an altercation with theTSR constable.
He was gunned down inside the headquarters of the 2ndbattalion of the TSR at R K Nagar, West Tripura superintendentof Police (SP) Abhijit Saptarshi had said.
The decision on this was taken during a meeting amongeditors held here yesterday, Subal Kumar Dey, editor of'Syandan Patrika', where the slain journalist, worked toldreporters.
Meanwhile, television channels also displayed a pictureof the slain journalist every hour, Pranab Sarkar, Secretaryof Tripura Journalists Union, said.
BJP state unit chief Biplab Deb said, "Though the partyis against the politics of bandh this time we are helplessbecause two journalists have been killed in the state withintwo months."On September 20, Santanu Bhowmick was killed at Mandai inwest Tripura district when he went to cover an agitation bythe Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT).
The ruling CPI-M opposed the bandhs saying the oppositionparties were politicising the killing of the journalists eventhough the state government had taken prompt action.
A three-member special investigation team (SIT) headed byDeputy inspector general (southern range) Arindam Nath wasformed yesterday to investigate the latest killing, the stategovernment said in a statement. PTI JOY KKKJ.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.