Peace meet held in clash-hit Jampuijala

AGARTALA: The sub-divisional magistrate of Jampuijala in Sepahijala district held a peace meeting on Monday to restore normalcy in the clash-hit area. A committee, comprising leaders from the warring allies BJP and IPFT, was also set up.
Clashes between the two parties over the past two weeks forced the administration to impose prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC, still in force.The villages of Jampuijala and Takarjala have been the nodal points of violence. Tension had been building up after the appointment of BJP MLA Birendra Kishore Debbarma as chairperson of the block advisory committee, a post that IPFT had been demanding.
A large section of the subdivision falls under the tribal autonomous district council, which the Left Front holds as of now. Elections to the council are due in another six months.
Last Tuesday, an altercation between workers of the two parties at a BJP event escalated quickly and turned into full-blown political clashes. Houses of workers from both parties were set ablaze. One IPFT supporter, Michael Debbarma (25), was arrested for arson and is in police custody. In protest against this, IPFT launched road blockades in Takarjala and Jampuijala. The situation eased after a BJP supporter, Gandhi Debbarma (27), was arrested. IPFT workers are, however, adamant on replacing Birendra Debbarma with an IPFT leader.