At least seven policemen and four general people along with few protestors sustained injuries on Saturday during a clash between the security personnel and the agitators who held a protest rally against the recently enacted Waqf (Amendment) Act in Kailashahar town under Unakoti district of Tripura.

Similar protest by ‘Nagarik Mancha’ has also organized at Sonamura town under Sepahijala district and hundreds of Muslim people after a protest rally, which passes different thoroughfares of the town, the leaders of the Mancha addressed the gathering in support of their demands of repeal of Waqf (Amendment) Act.

Police sources said that  the Police and Tripura State Rifles (TSR) had to charge batons and burst teargas shells to disperse the crowds, who during the gathering suddenly turned violent and started pelting stones and bricks on the police.

Police claimed that before the start of the protest rally, senior police officials requested the leaders of the agitators not to come to the mixed populated and non-Muslim dominated areas and put up barricades between two police stations – Irani and Kailashahar.

When thousands of protestors engaged in scuffle with security forces,  police resorted to lathi charge and burst teargas shells after the protesters broke the security barricade to get entry into Kailashahar district town.

Sources added that many violent protesters engaged in a physical brawl with the police personnel and they also vandalized a few local shops.

Sources added that protestors started pelting bricks and stones at the security personnel, which left at least seven police personnel, including sub-divisional police personnel Jayanta Karmakar, injured.

The protesters, comprising around four thousand men and women, also vandalised a few shops, houses, and public properties, raising slogans against the central and state BJP governments.

The official sources added that the protesters raised slogans demanding the repeal of the Waqf (Amendment) Act and allowing the Muslim community to act on Waqf properties without any interference.

He also said that police arrested eight protestors for throwing bricks and stones at the security personnel and lodged a suo-moto FIR.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) of Northern Range, Rati Ranjan Debnath and other senior officials including SP (Unakoti) Ms. Sudhambika R led the security personnel to deal with the protests.

While, in the Saturday evening, Anti Waqf (Amendment) Act joint forum addressing a press conference Badrujaman, Abdul Munim Litan, Sayed Ahmed of Muslim Personal Law Board said that they organized a peaceful protest, but during their protest rally one unknown people throw shoes in their rally, which instigate protestors.

They claimed that police had arrested four innocent people and if the police did not release them at the earliest, then they would organize a massive protest and would also blockade roads.

Meanwhile, police sources said that during the protest rally at Sonamura, protestors blockaded a firefighting vehicle and they also tried to attack firefighters boarded in the truck. Later, that firefighting vehicle, without attending its emergency call, returned back to their station.

Police sources said that a large number of security personnel were deployed in many parts of the state including in Kailashahar and Sonamura to defuse the escalating tension. BSF has been asked to intensify their surveillance in the entire stretch of Indo-Bangla border.

It may be recalled here that President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, on April 5, as announced by the Law Ministry in a notification on the same day.

The Bill was recently passed by Parliament after intense and lengthy debates in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

The law seeks to improve governance by enhancing transparency in property management, streamlining coordination between Waqf boards and local authorities and protecting stakeholders’ rights.