Warengbari Polling Station Firing: Two Arrested Before 72-Hour Deadline, Police Keep Identities Confidential
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, October 2, 2026
Two persons have been arrested in connection with the firing incident at Warengbari polling station under the Maharani–Gamaria area of Udaipur subdivision during the TTAADC Village Committee elections on September 28. The arrests came late Wednesday night, within the 72-hour period that the administration had assured protesters would be used to apprehend those allegedly directly involved in the incident.
According to police, the two accused were arrested in a joint operation involving the Udaipur SDPO, the Officer-in-Charge of R.K. Pur Police Station and Sepahijala district police. While one report places the arrests in the Raghunathpur area of Bishalgarh, other police-based reports identify the arrests as having been made from the Takarjala areas under Takarjala Police Station. The police have not publicly disclosed the identities of the arrested persons, citing the ongoing investigation.
Gomati district Additional Superintendent of Police Rajib Sutradhar confirmed that an R.K. Pur Police Station case had been registered following the September 28 firing and said the arrests were made on the basis of information gathered during the investigation. The two arrested persons were produced before court on Thursday, where police sought their custody for further interrogation. Police have also indicated that the investigation is continuing and that further arrests may follow.
The firing took place on September 28 during polling for the TTAADC Village Committee elections at Warengbari. A TIPRA Motha candidate, Khachindra Reang, was reported injured, along with two other persons. The incident subsequently triggered protests and road blockades in Maharani and adjoining areas, with protesters demanding immediate arrests.
The incident became a major law-and-order issue after supporters of TIPRA Motha blocked roads and demanded action against those allegedly responsible. On September 30, the Gomati District Magistrate met representatives and protesters and assured them that those allegedly directly involved would be arrested within three days. Following that assurance, the blockade was withdrawn.
TIPRA Motha MLA Ranjit Debbarma had earlier questioned the delay in arrests and demanded that the Election Commission and police take immediate action. On September 29, he said the party had provided information about persons allegedly identified by injured workers and demanded arrests within 24 hours.
Debbarma had also alleged that several people had reached the polling centre in vehicles and that some of those present at the scene had subsequently been identified by injured party workers.
The decision by police not to disclose the names or show the faces of the two arrested persons has now become a point of public and political discussion. Police have maintained that the identities have not been released because the investigation is still underway and other persons allegedly connected with the firing are being traced.
The issue has also generated questions over whether the arrested persons are the principal alleged shooters or whether they are suspected of having other roles in the incident. At this stage, police have described them as members of a group allegedly connected with the firing, while the investigation into the precise role of each accused remains pending.
TIPRA Motha leaders have alleged that persons linked to the BJP were behind the attack. Ranjit Debbarma had specifically alleged links between the persons named in the FIR and the BJP.
Consequently, questions circulating publicly about whether the arrested persons belong to BJP, TIPRA Motha or any other political organisation cannot presently be treated as established facts.
The demand from sections of the political spectrum and the public for disclosure of the names and identities of the arrested persons is therefore likely to remain an important issue until investigators formally disclose further details.
The arrests mark an important development in the investigation into the Warengbari firing, particularly after the administration's three-day assurance and the protests that followed the incident. However, the arrest of two persons does not by itself establish who fired the shots, who organised the alleged attack, or what the exact motive was.
Police are now expected to establish the individual roles of the arrested persons, recover and examine relevant evidence, determine whether firearms were used and identify any other persons allegedly involved.
For the moment, the officially confirmed position is that two persons have been arrested, produced before court and taken up for further investigation, while their identities and alleged political affiliations have not been publicly disclosed by police.
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