3 FIRs registered over clashes between CPM-BJP activists in Tripura

The first clash occurred at Rajnagar area in Belonia subdivision of South District, over 90 km from Agartala on Sunday when the CPM was protesting against price hike of petroleum products.

Agartala: More than two dozen people including a Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) legislator and four security personnel have sustained injuries in scattered clashes between opposition CPM and ruling BJP at two places of Tripura since Sunday. Three cases have been registered in connection with the clashes.

Police said that the first clash occurred at Rajnagar area in Belonia subdivision of South District, over 90 km from Agartala on Sunday when the CPM was protesting against price hike of petroleum products.

The clash left 20 people injured including veteran CPM legislator Sudhan Das, his two personal security guards, one police official and a state trooper and 13 people from BJP including the party’s local mandal president Ranjit Sarkar. The CPM and the BJP organised rallies in Rajnagar to protest the violence on Monday.

“We got a complaint from BJP on Monday...We have also taken a suo motto in this regard. Our investigation is in process”, said Belonia sub divisional police officer Soumya Debbarma.

The CPM, in a press release, demanded the state government take action against the culprits who provoked the clashes.

“Our mandal president got injured along with some party activists in the clash. We condemn the incident and are hopeful that police will take proper action in the case”, said one local BJP leader.

The second incident took place at Dhaleswar in Agartala on Monday where some CPM party activists were allegedly attacked by local BJP activists. A case was registered at East Agartala Police Station.

CPM state secretary Goutam Das claimed 78 party activists were injured in the attack by BJP activists. “One of our party offices was also attacked and its boundary wall was vandalised by them,” he said.

BJP spokesperson Subrata Chakraborty taunted the CPM, saying the CPM appeared to have become “the complaint party of India after losing power” and was trying to blame the BJP to hide the internal tussle within the CPM.

Congress vice president Tapash Dey criticised the ruling BJP regime for the law and order situation before throwing a dart at the opposition CPM too. “We don’t support violence, but we must say that law and order was also not good when CPM was in power. Both the parties are two sides of the same coin,” he said.