Kailashahar, March 19:Tension gripped the premises of the Executive Engineer, Division VI office of the Water Resources Department in Kailashahar’s Paschim Bazar Wednesday over the awarding of a contract.
According to reports, Kailashahar police and the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) were alerted about possible unrest in the area.
Acting on the tip-off, SDPO Jayanta Karmakar, along with the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Kailashahar police station and other officials, rushed to the spot with police, Tripura State Rifles (TSR), and central security personnel.
Before the police could reach the scene, unidentified individuals set a motorcycle on fire in front of the office. Soon, tensions escalated between two groups over the contract work, leading to office employees locking themselves inside out of fear. Upon being informed by police, the fire department dispatched an engine to douse the flames, while police and security forces managed to disperse the gathered youth.
The conflict arose over a ₹3.5 crore contract for boulder construction and placement to prevent riverbank erosion in the Jalai area of Kailashahar.
The project was awarded via online tender to D.N. Construction of Dharmanagar, and the actual work was being carried out by two young contractors from North Kailashahar.
The contractors alleged that ever since securing the project, certain youths from Chandipur had been demanding ₹20 lakh from them over the phone. Despite receiving threats, they refused to pay.
Initially, the Water Resources Department assigned them a worksite in Konokpur, but in an unexpected turn, they were told they could not work there and had to shift operations to Jalai. When the contractors arrived at Jalai with materials and workers on Wednesday, no department officials were present. Later, they learned that the Executive Engineer was on leave and the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) was unwell.
When the contractors arrived at the department office to seek clarification, they saw a motorcycle engulfed in flames, with a large gathering of youths nearby, allegedly tender mafia and supporters of the ruling BJP.
The youth from Chandipur countered the allegations, claiming that the contractors themselves had set the motorcycle on fire to disrupt development work and disturb the city’s peace. They also alleged that the unrest was instigated by local MLA Birajit Sinha.
While both sides blamed each other for setting the motorcycle ablaze, no one could confirm who actually started the fire. After extinguishing the flames, police seized the charred bike and took it to Kailashahar police station.
SDPO Jayanta Karmakar, addressing the media in the evening, confirmed that the situation is under control. “We received information about potential unrest and acted immediately to bring the situation under control,” he said.
As of 7:00 PM, no official complaint had been filed at Kailashahar police station regarding the incident. The owner of the burnt motorcycle had also not come forward.
Furthermore, no complaints were received from the Executive Engineer or SDO of the Water Resources Department.
The police are keeping a close watch on the situation, and authorities have warned that if immediate action is not taken, the unrest could escalate further.
