Agartala: The Chief Judicial Magistrate of West Tripura has admitted a case against six police and administrative officers on the allegation of resorting unprovoked attack on 10,323 terminated teachers early this year, who were agitating in the city seeking their alternative livelihood.
Alleging illegal politically motivated police action on the jobless teachers, one Biswajit Banik, a member of the 10,323 terminated teachers filed a petition seeking action against the erring officers.
After a long hearing, the court admitted the case based on the prima facia against SP West Tripura Manik Lal Das, OC of West Agartala police station Jayanta Karmakar, SDPO Jirania Suman Majumder, SDPO Amtali Anirban Das, SDM Sadar Pradip Saha and DCM Sadar Ashis Biswas.
All the accused have been booked under sections 341/342/325/392/427/120B and 34 of the IPC.
The petitioner apprised the court that on January 27 this year, was the 52nd day of the agitation, the district administration had imposed Section 144 of CrPC at around 5:30 am and gave them five minutes to vacate the area. Immediately, police resorted to lathi charges on the terminated teachers including women and looted their belongings.
They had water cannons, fired tear gas shells besides, charging batons left over 60 injured. The victim teachers had knocked on the police station’s door to file a case but it was not done and finally, had to move court.
They informed the court that over a hundred agitating jobless teachers were arrested and their demonstration stage was dismantled in a pre-dawan operation of Tripura police in the city a few hours after District Magistrate of West Tripura promulgated 144 of CrPC.
The petitioner alleged that armed police stormed their demonstration tent when most of them were asleep and forcefully they were pushed to police vehicles without proper dress. The ladies were not given time to dress up and when a few opposed to get arrested, police allegedly assaulted and chased them on the street that caused injuries to more than 60 agitators, they claimed.
“Illegally, police seized rice, vegetables and other essential items along with the tents and sound system from the spot. We have been put to an open police ground in bone biting chill without even minimum protection, for which many of us fell ill. This is clearly a violation of human rights and terror by the state on the teachers,” alleged victim teachers.
