Agartala, Nov 27: The North Tripura district Sadar of Dharmanagar descended into chaos on Wednesday as simultaneous attacks on CPI(M) and Congress workers left over a dozen injured, including senior opposition leaders, with both parties accusing the administration of criminal negligence and alleging that ruling party activists carried out the violence while brandishing party flags in front of police personnel.
According to party sources, former legislator and CPI(M) state secretariat member Amitabh Datta was among those critically injured when a protest procession was allegedly attacked near the District Magistrate’s office. The violence, which took place on Constitution Day, has raised serious questions about the state administration’s ability to maintain law and order.
The day’s events began after Tuesday night’s arson attack on the District Congress office in Dharmanagar. On Wednesday morning, Congress workers organized a protest procession and staged a road blockade in front of their party office at Kali Dighi pond. Police assured them of swift action against the culprits, following which the blockade was lifted.
Also read | Regional Politics Rewired?: One NE Bloc Debuts in Tripura
The situation deteriorated when CPI(M) workers organized a protest procession from their party office, which held a street meeting in front of the District Magistrate’s office. When a BJP procession approached from Kali Dighi pond, a confrontation ensued that quickly escalated into physical violence. Opposition parties allege that BJP workers attacked the CPI(M) procession while police personnel remained passive observers.
District Congress President Digbijoy Chakraborty described the attack on the Congress office that occurred around noon. “Several hundred BJP-affiliated miscreants entered the Congress building, carried out an attack, and caused extensive vandalism,” he said.
“One Congress worker was injured in the incident. He is currently undergoing treatment at the district hospital. The attack occurred in front of the police, yet the administration did not take any effective action,” he added.
Chakraborty drew attention to what he termed as selective response from the state’s Chief Minister. “When BJP workers and supporters are attacked by Tipra Motha, the Chief Minister makes statements. But he remains silent about attacks on opposition members,” he said.
Also read | Congress Accuses BJP Govt of Bringing Political Violence Culture to Tripura Hills
“Dr. Manik Saha Is Attempting to Establish a Fascist Rule,” Opposition Leader Charges
CPI(M) Politburo member and Leader of Opposition Jitendra Chaudhary released a video statement on Wednesday evening condemning the violence. “I have no words to condemn what happened in Dharmanagar today. Our state’s honorable Chief Minister speaks eloquently every day about good governance in this state, but when it comes to all matters, there is a new trend, a new symptom of him shifting his failures onto the opposition, particularly on the CPI(M). This is a kind of crime, and we are witnessing it,” Chaudhary stated.
He provided graphic details of the attack. “On this afternoon, right in front of the police station, before hundreds of people, when activists from an opposition political party came out to participate in a nationwide issue as part of an all-India national program, the BJP party goons, carrying their party flags, attacked them like ferocious hyenas,” he said.
“And we saw that the police didn’t even have a lathi in their hands. This was not a sudden or unexpected incident. There is no reason to think it just happened,” he added.
Also read | Tripura: ABVP Conducts Purification with Pandit, Warns SFI After Nocturnal Graffiti
Chaudhary directly accused the Chief Minister of enabling fascist tactics. “Inside Tripura state, Dr. Manik Saha is attempting to establish a fascist rule, and he is using the administration in exactly the same way so that the goons of his party, his anti-social elements, attack the opposition like this, while they make a token gesture just to save face,” he alleged.
He confirmed the extent of injuries. “Six people were seriously injured, including Amitabh Dutta, a former legislator and member of our party’s state committee, Ratan Ray, our party’s Dharmanagar subdivision secretary, and four other party functionaries,” Chaudhary said.
“And I have learned that this incident occurred right next to the residence of our state’s president, where there is a Congress party office. Congress supporters were also sitting in front of this office in their homes and verandas, and they were also attacked. Their party office was also vandalized,” he added.
Chaudhary demanded accountability. “I am not just condemning this. I am demanding to the state police authorities to identify those who were involved in this incident, and those police officers who stood by and watched, and whose negligence allowed this attack to happen. They should also be punished,” he emphasized.
Also read | Tripura HC Raps Tax Officials for Illegal Rs 4.96 Lakh GST Penalty, Orders Refund With Interest
By Changing the Constitution, They Want to Implement What Is Mentioned in Manusmriti: Pradesh Congress
Tripura Pradesh Congress President Asish Kumar Saha, along with state spokesperson Prabir Chakraborty, held a press conference on Wednesday addressing the attack on their party office at Pradesh Congress Bhavan here in Agartala.
During the press conference, Saha provided context for the Tuesday night arson. “Along with the rest of the country, the Tripura Pradesh Congress was preparing to celebrate Constitution Day. Yesterday at our Dharmanagar district office, party workers were preparing publicity materials for this program,” he explained.
“On that night, the BJP party terrorists went to the district office and attacked it. They destroyed the publicity materials that were outside the office. They even broke the party flags, festoons, and set them on fire. The fire damaged the main entrance door of our district office, and they broke windows and attempted to set fires inside,” Saha detailed.
Also read | Tripura’s Railway Station Modernizes, Installs 3 Digital Ticket Machines
Saha made a pointed observation about the ruling party’s commitment to constitutional values. “While the government itself wants to celebrate Constitution Day and secure people’s constitutional rights, we must say that from the very inception of the Constitution, we have seen this. From the day the Constitution was born, the RSS, who were the ideological guardians of the BJP party at that time, burned the Constitution with fire and celebrated the day after its Preamble was adopted. Their distrust of this Constitution has been there from the very beginning,” he said.
He continued his criticism. “Although they are now, being in power, announcing the celebration of Constitution Day, in reality, they do not respect this Constitution. They want to change this Constitution. There is repeated interference with this Constitution. The rights given in the Constitution, especially to Adivasis, Dalits, minorities, backward communities, the poor, peasants, and workers, they want to snatch away these rights,” Saha charged.
Saha stated, “By changing the Constitution, they now want to implement through this Constitution what is mentioned in the Manusmriti in a new way. For this reason, on Constitution Day today, they attacked the Congress office.”
He confirmed that one Congress worker was hospitalized. “In this attack, one of our SC department workers, Pramesh Malakar, was beaten and hospitalized with injuries,” Saha said.
The injured were admitted to North Tripura District Hospital in Dharmanagar. Among those in critical condition are three workers. Dharmanagar Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Jayanta Karmakar, Additional Superintendent of Police Kamal Debbarma, and District Superintendent of Police Avinash Rai reached the scene. Additional police forces were deployed to control the situation.