Agartala, 26 Feb: Police clashed with hundred of protestors in Agartala when they came to evacuate an illegal settlement on government land on Tuesday.

Hundreds of police personnel armed with batons, shields, tear gas and guns started gathering in the Kunjaban area right from dawn.

Police said the demonstrators were initially warned and police tried to solve the matter peacefully, but when the illegal occupants attacked, police were compelled into baton charging them.

Dozens of protestors were arrested by the police as they tried to block roads and stop the police from entering. The actual number of arrests could not be confirmed.

“The role of police was just to help the civil administration to evacuate the illegal occupants from that area,” said Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Jaideep Nayak.

Later, the bamboo and tin houses were destroyed by bulldozers.

According to the police, at least nine hundred tribal families had settled on the land.

One occupant said that seeing their miserable condition, the land was donated to them by Maharani Bibhu Devi of Tripura's royal Manikya dynasty. (ANI)