Tension gripped the Baluarcherra village of Hejamara under Sidhai police station of West Tripura district following a violent clash over a disputed jhum land, during which six rounds of gunfire were allegedly fired.
Residents of the village have approached the police demanding immediate security and the arrest of the accused involved for unrest in the village.
Sources said that a long-standing dispute has been brewing over a 15-kani jhum land that was allegedly under the possession of the late Samprayi Debbarma. The villagers alleged that local residents Shankar Debbarma, Ravi Debbarma and Sunil Debbarma had been attempting to forcibly occupy the land.
Residents of Baluarcherra claimed that they had made several attempts to resolve the dispute through discussions, but the accused allegedly assaulted villagers whenever they were called for negotiations.
The situation reportedly took a serious turn on Monday night when Shankar Debbarma and his associates allegedly entered the area and opened indiscriminate fire, firing six rounds. The gunshots created panic among the villagers, forcing many residents to flee and take shelter in nearby forests out of fear.
Following the incident, the residents lodged a complaint at Sidhai police station against six miscreants, including Shankar, Ravi, Sunil and Swapan Debbarma. The villagers also appealed to the media and the administration for protection, alleging that police inaction had allowed the dispute to escalate into a dangerous situation.
Demanding immediate intervention, the residents urged the police to arrest the all accused before any further untoward incident occurs. Police have registered a case and an investigation into the matter is going on and till Tuesday night , no arrest has been made over firing incident.