A Tipra Motha candidate, Khachindra Reang, was shot during the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council Village Committee elections in Warengbari, Gamaria, Gomati district. Reang was wounded in a clash with rival political groups and later transported from Gomati District Hospital to GB Pant Hospital in Agartala for advanced care. Two other individuals, Chitrajoy Reang and Udayram Reang, were also injured in the incident.
The shooting has strained the BJP‑Tipra Motha alliance that had contested the Village Committee polls together. The parties coordinated their campaign and secured 1,644 candidates unopposed, of which 1,561 were from Tipra Motha and 81 from the BJP, according to the State Election Commission. Despite this cooperation, the parties fielded candidates against each other in some constituencies.
Tipra Motha supporters blamed BJP workers for the attack, but senior party leader CK Jamatia said the perpetrators’ identities were not yet established. The police are investigating the case, while the BJP has also raised concerns about alleged booth capturing and ballot tampering at the same polling station, seeking a re‑poll.
The incident sparked a road blockade by Tipra Motha workers on the Udaipur‑Amarpur route, which was lifted after discussions with District Magistrate Rinku Lather, Inspector General of Police Ipper Manchak and other officials. A brief scuffle followed a heated exchange between party leaders and police. Two persons were detained for questioning, and the police have registered two cases, with investigations underway.
The State Election Commission has ordered re‑polling in three Village Committee seats on 3 October, citing booth capturing and ballot tampering in Gamaria and symbol allotment issues in Paharpur. The unfolding events could widen the dispute between the alliance partners, with the outcome of the police inquiry and the re‑poll determining whether the confrontation remains local or escalates statewide.
