Reported by Mrinal Kanti Banik
Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Sunday denounced the recent incidents of violence in Khayerpur and Kamalpur ahead of the urban local body elections, stating that political violence would not be tolerated, regardless of the affiliation of those involved.
Speaking to reporters, Saha said both incidents required a thorough investigation and that appropriate action must be taken in accordance with the law. He added that he had instructed the authorities to gather details and initiate necessary measures in the two cases.
Referring to the incident in Khayerpur, the Chief Minister said violence of this nature was unacceptable under any circumstances and called for an immediate investigation. He also termed the incident in Kamalpur undesirable, stressing that the authorities must establish the facts before proceeding further.
Clarifying his party’s position, Saha said the BJP would not shield any of its members if they were found involved in such activities. He maintained that Opposition parties had every democratic right to raise complaints and said BJP workers had been instructed not to prevent Opposition candidates from filing nominations.
The Chief Minister said efforts had previously been made to discourage political violence, but some people had failed to respond to such appeals. Taking a swipe at the communists, he alleged that they had followed such political practices in the past and were now witnessing similar situations in different places.
However, Saha cautioned BJP workers against adopting what he described as the political practices of the communists. He said the actions of other parties could not be used to justify similar conduct by BJP members.
The Chief Minister’s remarks followed two incidents reported on Saturday.
In Kamalpur, five CPI(M) leaders and workers were allegedly assaulted while they were on their way to submit nomination papers for the municipal elections. The Left party accused BJP workers of carrying out the attack. CITU subdivisional secretary Debashish Das and party worker Sunil Debbarma reportedly sustained serious injuries.
In a separate incident in Khayerpur, Congress leader Bapatu Chakraborty was accused of firing at a BJP worker on Saturday evening. Police subsequently arrested Chakraborty. However, the weapon used in the incident was identified as an air gun.
The two incidents have heightened political tensions in Tripura as parties prepare for the upcoming urban local body elections.