Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Monday told the state Assembly that six FIRs against former chief minister and CPI(M) leader Manik Sarkar over his alleged “Jangi Andolan (literally translates to an aggressively vociferous movement) remark. This consists of one FIR filed physically with the West Agartala Police Station and five Zero FIRs.
The issue was raised shortly after the question-answer session on the third day of the ongoing Assembly session, with MLA Sushanta Deb and Minister Sushanta Chowdhury expressing apprehensions over the matter.
Responding to them, Saha said one case was registered at the West Agartala police station following an FIR lodged by Prabir Roy.
According to Saha, Sarkar made the alleged statement between 12 pm and 1 pm on August 10 while addressing a political event. The statement was subsequently published in local newspapers.
Saha said the complaint alleged that Sarkar had stated that if the government ignored the demands being raised, the protest would intensify and take the shape of a “Jangi Andolan”.
The complaint further alleged that, given Sarkar’s position as an influential person, the statement could incite people against the government and potentially affect peace and public order, Saha said.
It was also apprehended in the complaint that anti-social elements could exploit such statements and take the law and order situation into their own hands, which could pose a threat to the safety and security of common people, he said.
Following registration of the FIR at West Agartala police station, five Zero FIRs were registered at police stations in different parts of the state, including Kalyanpur, Khowai, Bishalgarh, Kadamtala and Teliamura.
“The five Zero FIRs were subsequently tagged together with the original case at West Agartala police station. Further investigation on the issue is underway,” Saha said.
He said necessary action had been taken in accordance with law in connection with the cases.
Saha also said the government would take steps in accordance with law in matters concerning public order and peace, irrespective of the political identity of the person involved.
The chief minister’s statement in the Assembly provided details of the cases registered in connection with the alleged remark. The investigation into the matter is underway, according to Saha.
There was no immediate response from Sarkar to the allegations in the complaint.