5 injured as CPI(M), BJP clash in poll-bound Tripura

A day after the date for Assembly election was announced for Tripura, ruling CPI(M) and opposition BJP today clashed in Dhalai district leading to injury to five persons, police said.
Supporters of the two parties clashed again later near a hospital where the injured have been admitted and the police lobbed tear gas shells to control the situation there.
Trouble started at about 12 noon when CPI(M) took out a procession at Baligaon area alleging that BJP supporters threw away its party flags from where they had been stuck yesterday night.
The BJP activists also hit the street claiming that CPI(M) workers damaged publicity materials of the party in the same night.

When the two processions came face to face, workers of both the parties attacked one another with batons and three CPI(M) activists and two BJP men were injured, Dhalai district Additional SP Kulwant Sinha told reporters.
The injured were admitted to Kamalpur sub-divisional hospital.

Sinha said both the sides gathered again near the hospital and started pelting stones at each other.
Police lobbed two rounds of tear gas shells to disperse the groups and deployed paramilitary forces, he said.
Singh said the situation is tense but under control.
The Election Commission yesterday announced that polls for the 60-member Assembly would be held in Tripura on February 18 and counting on March 3.