8 hurt in clash between police, villagers

AGARTALA, July 30: Eight persons including five police personnel have been injured in a clash with villagers in North Tripura district, police said on Thursday. Hundreds of villagers from Machhmare village armed with lethel weapons gathered before Penchartal police station on Wednesday night demanding immediate release of two villagers who were arrested on Wednesday itself under National Security Act (NSA) on the charge of inciting communal violence in the area. After being refused to entry to the police station, the villagers stormed the building and ransacked it. Tripura State Rifles (TSR) jawans deployed in the police station resorted to lathicharge to disperse the mob, the police said. Five police personnel and three villagers were injured in the clash and all of them were released after first aid from a local primary health centre, the police said.