Agartala: Tension ran high at Kailashahar, the Unakoti district headquarters after a lorry was vandalized when a Congress sponsored dawn to dusk strike was underway on Thursday.
The truck driver identified as Rahul Sarkar claimed that he didn’t even know that a strike had been called by a political party.
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“Even when we were entering the Kailashahar, police officials posted at different corners of the town also didn’t tell us that picketing was being carried out across Kailashahar for strike,” said Sarkar.
He had also suffered injuries when he tried to resist the picketers.
Speaking on the law and order situation, Superintendent of Police Unakoti District P Sudambika R informed the media persons that enough security personnel had been deployed across the town and the situation was under control.
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“A minor incident occurred where a truck’s glass had been broken. Apart from that, the situation is by and large peaceful. We have warned both the parties to keep the situation peaceful, otherwise strict punitive measures would be undertaken,” said the police officer.
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The strike was called by the Unakoti District Congress Committee protesting against the alleged rampant corruption in the tendering process.
Speaking on the issue, local MLA and Congress Legislative Party chief Birajit Sinha said, “The Kailashar witnessed repeated violence surrounding government tenders. The state government’s tall claims of e-tendering and transparency look like lip service only. Every time tenders are invited, confrontations occur. Sharp resentment is brewing among the youngsters who want to contribute to nation building.”
Unakoti District Congress President Md. Badruzzaman said that it was a symbolic protest for a wake up call for the government which had been sleeping on the burning issues. He also threatened a civil disobedience movement if the immediate steps were not undertaken.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, on the other hand, launched counter picketing across Kailashahar. BJP Mandal Sabhapati Pritam Ghosh accused the Congress Party of being a party of blockades and strikes. “The Congress party is anti-people and it does not have any respect for the people who earn their living by working on a daily basis,” Ghosh added.
The strike was by and large peaceful as most of the shops remained closed. The government offices, however, functioned with lesser attendance compared to usual days.