Tripura Witnesses Post Bypoll Violence Against Opposition Parties

Kolkata/Agartala: Tripura witnessed a spate of violent incidents, allegedly by BJP workers, after the saffron party secured three seats in the recently concluded bypolls for which counting was held on Sunday. While the 6-Agartala constituency went to the Congress candidate Sudip Ray Barman, the other three seats went to the BJP including the 8-Bardowali seat from where the Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha got elected by a margin of over 6,000 votes.

In 57-Jubarajnagar CPI(M) came second while in 46-Surma SC Assembly segment Tipra Motha (an indigenous peoples’ organisation) came second. In the Bardowali Assembly segment Congress came second, while in the Agartala seat, BJP came second.

It may be recalled that the election was marred with allegations of voter intimidation and vote rigging and booth capture.

After the results were out on Sunday afternoon, in Agartala suburbs CPI(M) leaders' houses were vandalised in several places. In Bilonia, Satmura, Tripura Bazaar area, houses and vehicles of CPI(M) activists came under direct attack by anti-social elements, allegedly sheltered by the BJP. In the same place in Agartala offices and properties of Congress were also vandalised.

State Congress president Birjit Sinha came under attack as the state congress office in Agartala city came under attack by an unruly mob. Sinha had to be hospitalised after the incident.

In front of the Agartala west police station, miscreants destroyed motorbikes and scooters parked by the leaders of the Left Front. A 80 year old Congress leader Bhabananda Bhowmik was beaten up by sticks in Agartala town. In Khowai district, vehicles of MLA Brishketu Deb Barma and ADC member Bidyut Debabarma were broken by the miscreants. In each of these incidents police remained a mute spectator to the entire incident.

CPI(M) leader and former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, state secretary Jitendra Choudhury , CPI(M) central committee member Narayan Kar and Tapan Chakraborty visited the areas hit by violence on Monday and condemned the act of mindless violence.

CPI(M) state secretariat in a press release has condemned the incidents that are raining on the opposition parties in the state and has demanded that the administration take steps so that this attack is stopped at once. They have also urged the state's peace loving people to rise in protest against the attacks.

In Jogendranagar’s Adorsho colony area CPI(M) area committee member Sabita Chakraborty’s house was attacked by the BJP hooligans. The front gate of his house and doors were broken and the furniture of her house was destroyed. Chakraborty was threatened with dire consequences if she stayed a CPI(M) leader of the locality and was even drenched with Phenyl.

On Sunday afternoon at Surya Para Mohalla of Arundhatinagar locality, CPI(M) area committee member Ajoy Dey’s house came under attack by the BJP forces.They looted the gates and doors of the house and also took away valuables from the house. After the election results were out in Jubarajnagar of Dharmanagar district, the CPI(M) party office at Haflong area was vandalised and furniture and important documents were destroyed. The houses of election agent and Left Front candidate Saileshchandra Nath and Rupendranarayan Choudhury were vandalised by BJP workers.

Alongside the houses of local CPI(M) leaders Nirmal Chakraborty, Makhanlal Pal, Moinul Haque and Shahiruddin were attacked. CPI(M) Dharmanagar Mahakuma committee and Tripura North district committee have condemned the violence and have demanded the immediate arrest of the miscreants.

Reports of arson and violence have come in from Bilonia Mahakuma too, whereby the offices of TECC (HB Road) were torched upon by the miscreants.

Reports of arson have come in from Khowai too. Here after the BJP workers allegedly attacked ADC member Brishketu Debbarma’s vehicle the supporters of Tipra Motha, an indigenous peoples organisation sat on a roadblock in Khowai Agartala highway and Khowai Agartala highway. In Shantirbazaar area, a CPI(M) worker Liton Das was attacked by miscreants and had to be hospitalised.