Agartala: The Tripura Chapter of the All India Services (AIS) Association on Thursday strongly criticised Leader of Opposition Jitendra Choudhury for calling the Superintendent of Police of South Tripura “an idiot” during a confrontation over a CPI(M) rally in Belonia, urging him to withdraw the remark and apologise publicly.
In a joint statement, the state units of the IAS, IPS, and IFS associations described the remark as inappropriate, saying it was directed at a serving IPS officer while he was carrying out his official duties.
The association said the district Superintendent of Police had been performing his duties in accordance with the law and that personal attacks on officers acting in good faith could erode public confidence in institutions and adversely affect the morale of the police and civil services.
While acknowledging that elected representatives have the democratic right to question government policies and administrative decisions, the association said criticism should remain dignified and should not descend into personal insults directed at individual officers.
The statement also accused Choudhury of repeatedly making offensive and unverified allegations against senior government officials in recent times, asserting that such conduct weakens public institutions and demoralises officers discharging their responsibilities.
The joint statement was issued by Rajesh Kumar Das on behalf of the IAS Association, R. Darlong on behalf of the IPS Association, and S. Prabhu on behalf of the IFS Association.
The controversy stems from Wednesday’s incident at Chottakhola in Belonia subdivision, where police stopped a CPI(M) procession organised in memory of former party leader and Zilla Parishad candidate Badal Chandra Shil, who died in 2024 after allegedly being assaulted by a group of villagers.
According to police, the procession was halted after a large number of villagers, including many women, gathered along the route in protest, alleging that seven innocent villagers had been falsely implicated in Shil’s murder case.
Although the accused had initially secured bail, they were later sent back to judicial custody after the victim’s family successfully challenged the bail order before the High Court.
During a heated exchange with police officials, Choudhury referred to the South Tripura Superintendent of Police as “an idiot” and claimed that he had conveyed the same opinion to the Director General of Police.
Additional Superintendent of Police Suman Majumder immediately objected to the remark, reminding the Opposition leader that such language was unbecoming of a senior public representative.
Later, while addressing party workers, Choudhury accused the state government of failing to maintain law and order and alleged that the police had bowed to pressure from anti-social elements. He also asserted that the CPI(M) would continue to hold political programmes in the area.
Police officials maintained that permission had been granted for the rally, but the procession was stopped midway purely as a precautionary measure to prevent any breach of peace.