Tripura government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the Panisagar shooting incident after clash between protestors against Bru refugee resettlement and security personnel and protestors, in which one person was killed. According to the order, North Tripura district magistrate Nagesh Kumar B has been asked to investigate the incident. Also read: Tripura State Rifles jawans open fire on anti-Bru protestors, one killed in Kanchanpur While addressing a press conference at Dharmanagar on Saturday, district magistrate Nagesh Kumar B said in the Panisagar incident on Saturday, one person was killed and 23 others were injured. The incident took place at Chamtila in Panisagar sub-division of North Tripura. He informed that the deceased has been identified as 47-year-old Srikanth Das. The injured include 7 civilians and the 15 others include policemen, fire service personnel and government officials. All the injured were first taken to the Panisagar Sub-Divisional Hospital. From there, 8 people were sent to Dharmanagar District Hospital. The district magistrate said three government vehicles were vandalized by the protestors. The family of the deceased will be provided an amount of Rs 5 lakh as compensation. Section 144 CrPC has been imposed in Panisagar and Dharmanagar subdivisions to handle the situation. “More security personnel have been deployed to handle the situation and the army has also been called,” the district magistrate said. He said the Joint Movement Committee, which is opposing re-settle of the Bru refugees, called for a National Highway blockade on Saturday. Police and TSR were deployed since the morning to stop the blockade. “In the morning, people were coming from Unakoti district in two vehicles to join the protesters. Police and TSR (Tripura State Rifles) tried to stop them. But the protesters were outnumbered. Security forces failed to stop them,” the district magistrate said. “The protesters attacked the SDPO and others in Panisagar. In response, the security guards of the SDPO and other TSR jawans opened fire in which one person died,” he said. In 1997, Brus left their homes from Mizoram and took shelter in various places of Kanchanpur, mainly in the reserve forest areas. Kanchanpur is in North Tripura district bordering Mizoram. Since 1997 Bru-Reang people, who were displaced from Mizoram due to ethnic conflict, have been staying in six refugee camps under Kanchanpur sub-division. The decision to rehabilitate the Bru refugees in Tripura was taken after a multi-cornered meeting held in New Delhi this year in January in presence of Union home minister Amit Shah. It was decided that these Bru people, who fled Mizoram and took shelter in North Tripura after an ethnic clash in 1997, will be resettled in Tripura and the central government will provide financial support to the Tripura government. The Centre announced a package of Rs 600 crore for the settlement of these Bru refugees. Of the package, Rs 150 lakh will be given to the Tripura government for land acquisition and the rest of the money will be spent upon the welfare of these tribals, who traditionally follow the unscientific Jhum (slash and burn) method of cultivation. The JMC (Joint movement Committee) is a platform for local Bengalis and Mizo people. This platform is vehemently opposing mass resettlement of Bru-Reang refugees in Kanchanpur sub-division. JMC is opposing the government decision citing that the mass resettlement will disturb the already fragile ecological balance in the area. An indefinite strike is going on in Kanchanpur sub-division since last Monday.

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