BJP – IPFT Fields Candidate Accused of Murdering Journalist Shantanu Bhowmik
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Dhirendra Debbarma, one among the 12 persons accused in the murder case of Journalist Shantanu Bhowmik, is the BJP – IPFT alliance candidate for the Mandwai constituency in the upcoming Tripura assembly elections.
Bhowmik was brutally murdered in Mandwai on September 20, Last year, when he went to cover a road blockade by the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT). Bhowmik worked as a reporter with Dinraat, a local TV channel based in the state.
On September 19, 2017, a rally of tribal groups was organised in Agartala by Ganamukti Parishad in which Chief Minister Manik Sarkar addressed the gathering along with tribal leaders. Reportedly, IPFT groups had attacked the vehicles of the participants of the rally in which 118 persons were injured. It has been reported that Bhowmik was covering all these incidents and was killed on the next day.
A state government constituted Special Investigation Team (SIT) is probing into Bhowmik’s death. So far, it has included 12 persons in its charge sheet and of which six have been arrested.
On February 4, Brinda Karat, CPI(M) Polit Bureau Member visited Shantanu Bhowmik’s home in Mandwai and met Bhowmik’s mother. She said that the “Shamelessness of BJP – IPFT alliance” is evident from the fact that one of the accused in Bhowmik’s Murder, Dhirendra Debbarma, IPFT leader, is contesting from the same place where he was murdered.
CPI (M) leaders including Manik Sarkar, Tripura's Chief Minister for the last 20 years, had earlier criticised the alliance between BJP and IPFT as an “unholy one” by pointing out that IPFT was the political wing of outlawed National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT).
As per the seat sharing arrangement between BJP and IPFT, the saffron party candidates are contesting in 51 constituencies and the latter in 9 seats in the 60 seats legislative assembly.
In the previous assembly elections held in 2013, BJP lost in all the 50 seats it contested, scoring a meagre 1.54% vote share, however, it emerged as the main opposition to the ruling Left front when seven sitting MLAs who won on Congress tickets joined the saffron party last year.
The Left Front, led by the CPI (M), which is contesting in 57 seats in this elections, leaving to its allies — the Forward Bloc, the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP)and the Communist Party of India (CPI) one constituency each.
Tripura is going for polls on February 18 and the results will be out on March 3.
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