Tripura: BJP, Congress workers clash in Agartala, several injured

A face-off among the workers of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition Congress on Saturday shook Tripura's Agartala city as party offices of both the parties came under attacks. Several party workers, including Congress leader Sudip Roy Barman, sustained injuries.

The administration promulgated section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) on Friday evening to control the unruly situation.

Both the parties blamed each other for the ugly situation and security has been beefed up across Agartala city. Police, TSR and CRPF Jawans have been patrolling the city to keep the law and order situation under control.

The Congress party claimed that the BJP supporters first launched an unprovoked attack on induction programme organised at Kamarpukur Par, Agartala.

Tripura Pradesh Congress President Birajit Sinha said, "The BJP workers all of a sudden started pelting stones targeting the Congress' joining programme and later ravaged the whole event. Some miscreants, armed with wooden clubs and brickbats, launched attacks on senior Congress leaders injuring Sudip Roy Barman."

"The Congress party condemns such hooliganism in the name of politics", said Sinha. Congress leader Sudip Roy Barman toldover the phone that it was a pre-planned attack and the state police were hand in gloves with the miscreants.

On the other hand, the ruling BJP accused Congress of vandalizing its party office. BJP organized a protest rally that turned violent on reaching the Congress Bhavan area.

The BJP supporters threw stones and brickbats at the Congress Bhavan and the Congress workers in retaliation threw petrol bombs on the rally.

BJP general secretary Tinku Roy, Vice President Rajib Bhattacharjee, General Secretary Papai Datta and other senior leaders of the saffron party got involved in a heated altercation with the local police seeking the arrest of the Congress supporters.

Union Minister of state social justice and empowerment, Pratima Bhoumik, also visited the spot and interacted with media persons after the incident.

Tripura Information and Cultural Affairs Minister Sushanta Chowdhury was also present at the rally and claimed that when the BJP's peaceful rally reached near the Congress Bhawan, some anti-socials who were hiding inside the Congress Bhavan threw petrol bombs on them.

"Their main aim is to create unrest in the state and to bring the CPI(M) back to power. But we have to keep in mind that people have suffered for 25 long years and after that, this government was formed," the Minister said.

He claimed that the Congress and the CPI(M) are now in a shadow alliance to dethrone the ruling alliance. Chowdhury also alleged that CPI(M) sent their party workers to support Congress.

West District Superintendent of Police, Bogati Jagadeeswar Reddy said, "The incident is really unfortunate. Law will take its course against those who are responsible for the incident. We will investigate it further. So far, we didn't receive any complaints."

The SP, however, claimed that BJP didn't take any prior permission before holding the rally late evening. "They didn't take any permission for the rally. We will deploy more force to maintain law and order," the official said.

The prohibitory orders have been immediately clamped across Agartala city.

"It is apprehended that there is every possibility of further Law and Order issues at night and the Additional Superintendent of Police (Urban), West Tripura, Camp at SDPO Office (Sadar) has requested to promulgate prohibitory orders to maintain Law and Order in following areas: Colonel Chowmuhani to BK Chowmuhani to Post Office Chowmuhani, Chandrapur to Ashram Chowmuhani whole area and Math Chowmuhani to Old Motor Stand up to Surya Chowmuhani, GB Bazar to Kumari Tilla area to Abhoynagar," the order said.

( With inputs from ANI )