Amidst tension and fear of fresh attack, three more shops were gutted in the wee hours of Tuesday in the Gandacherra (Ganda Twisa) subdivision in Tripura’s Dhalai district, which had seen an incident of large-scale of arsoning flare-up after a tribal youth died last week following a clash with local people, gradually moving towards normalcy.

The authorities said the fire originated from a short circuit and was soon doused by fire tenders and normalcy gradually returning in the subdivision . The Gandacherra subdivision has been on the edge since July 12 night, when four shops were gutted and several houses damaged over the death of a tribal youth

The situation is created around the unexpected death of Parameswar Reang, a college student. The incident follows a wave of violence on Friday that left several houses, shops, and vehicles vandalized, displacing at least 40 families and forced about 300 people to take shelter in relief camps.

The District Magistrate of Dhalai visited Gandacherra to address the grievances of the affected residents, promising swift action. However, tensions flared again on Tuesday morning when a fire broke out, gutting three shops: Tapas Debnath's grocery shop, and the dry fish shops of Ratan Das and Swapan Das. Despite the arrival of two fire engines, the shops were completely burnt into ashes.

When, SP along with police forces rushed to the spot In response, the local staged protest and after heated exchange led to police used Lathi charge  to disperse agitated crowd, further escalating tensions. A young man, unaware of the unfolding situation, was allegedly beaten severely by security personnel when he approached on his bike.

Despite this, the District Magistrate urged traders to reopen their shops, and by afternoon, the Gandacherra market saw a gradual return of buyers and sellers. DM Dhalai assured that the situation was under control and normalcy was being restored.

The fire incident came after a day, when a high-level delegation comprising Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Tinku Roy and BJP state vice president Subal Bhowmik visited Gandatwisa and tried to interact with the locals who sustained losses in the conflict. The delegation later met with local administration officials at the local sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) office when a group of youths started pelting stones at the premises, breaking some glass panes of the office.

Meanwhile, a case was lodged at the local police station over the stone pelting at Gandacherra police station, in which several unidentified people were accused of destroying public property. A senior official of the state police also said that further investigation was being conducted to determine who was involved in stone pelting at the SDM office.

Dhalai District Magistrate Saju Waheed  confirmed that  shops caught fire due to an electrical short circuit and it was controlled immediately and large number of security forces were deployed across the subdivision to defuse any escalating tension.

The official also mentioned that Section 144 of CrPC (Section 163 under Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita) was still in effect, and tight security measures were being considered for the area.

On the issue, the Dhalai district police wrote on its official X handle, “Today early morning, two shops got fire due to electrical short circuit in Gandatwisa , and the fire was controlled by the fire service. The situation in Gandatwisa is normal. We request everyone to avoid circulating unnecessary rumours through social media. @tripura_cmo”.

Local sources said that tension has prevailed in the area since July 12 night, when four shops were gutted and several houses damaged over the death of a tribal youth, Parameshwar Reang, who was injured in a clash with local youths on July 7. Reang was rushed to GBP Hospital at Agartala, where he passed away on Friday. Soon after his body was taken back home at Gandacherra in Dhalai district that evening, tension sparked and several shops were gutted.

However, normalcy was slowly returning in the area, as no further escalation of the situation had occurred since the first round of conflict four days ago.

Meanwhile, the internet was banned for 24 hours in the area to prevent further flare-ups and restrictions were imposed to maintain law and order.

The aggrieved locals alleged that security personnel deployed on the ground during the tension stayed inactive and made video recordings of the place after the shops were gutted.

Minister Tinku Roy said that the prevailing situation has forced the people to live outside their homes for days and government is committed to ensuring that these people receive their compensation at the earliest and that they receive at least 25 percent of the compensation within the next two days. Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha has instructed us to take initiatives so that these affected people can return to their homes at the earliest.

According to local administration estimates, around 250 people are still in the shelter houses set up to accommodate those affected by the incidents. The authorities said they would start rolling out compensation to affected families Wednesday and would ensure their smooth return to home soon.