Tripura: Seven booked after violent attacks on power department staff, six injured

As many as seven persons were booked after they allegedly launched attacks on Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL) employees, leaving six of them seriously injured and damaging both a vehicle and a control room in Tripura on Tuesday.

A press statement from the Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited said that as the state braces for the seasonal nor'wester, employees of the corporation have been working tirelessly to maintain an uninterrupted electricity supply.

“Unfortunately, recent incidents of violent attacks on these frontline workers have raised alarming concerns about their safety and the sustainability of essential power services under such threats,” it said.

Describing the incident, the report states that on Tuesday, two separate incidents of mob violence were reported in Dhalai District, leaving six TSECL employees injured. In both cases, TSECL property—including an official vehicle and a control room—was damaged. These attacks have left workers feeling vulnerable and deeply insecure while performing their critical duties.

“The first attack occurred in the Ghainama Chakma Para area under the jurisdiction of the Chailengta Police Station, Longtarai Valley subdivision of Dhalai District. A team from the Manu Sub-Division had gone to the area to carry out routine work, including consumer verification, load checking, and anti-power-theft drives. As they arrived, they were suddenly attacked by three individuals—Darpan Chakma, Sena Kumar Chakma, and Bishwa Chakma. Four employees—Sanjay Debbarma, Daha Ranjan Tripura, Krishnadhan Debnath, and Bijoy Singh Chakma—suffered injuries. The attackers also vandalized the official vehicle used by the team. The employees narrowly escaped the area and an FIR was immediately lodged at Chailengta Police Station,” said the statement.

It further said that in the second incident, a group of miscreants led by Kamal Sinha (son of the late Kamini Sinha), along with three others, forcefully entered the 33/11 KV sub-station control room at Kamalpur in the same district.

“Without any provocation, they launched a sudden and violent attack on on-duty workers Amar Malakar and Amit Das, injuring them and causing damage to parts of the control room. The motive behind the assault remains unclear, leaving employees and authorities puzzled. An FIR has been filed at Kamalpur Police Station, and the identities of the attackers have been provided, though no arrests had been made till late Tuesday. These repeated incidents have sparked fear among TSECL employees, many of whom are now hesitant to report for duty in vulnerable locations. They stress that without immediate and adequate security measures, ensuring uninterrupted electricity during storm emergencies will become increasingly difficult,” the statement reads.

TSECL has strongly condemned these senseless acts of violence and urged the concerned authorities to take swift legal action against the perpetrators.