Agartala: Trinamool Congress supporters led by its Rajyasabha MP Sushmita Dev today demonstrated before police headquarter here demanding action against the violence perpetrated on their candidates of the civic poll for the last few days and sought security of TMC leaders and workers in the state.
A large number of TMC supporters sat-in demonstration raising slogans against the ruling BJP and Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb alleged that with the instruction of Deb and the party leaders, BJP cadres have been attacking the opposition for the last few months.
When they failed to win Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) unopposed due to TMC, BJP goons have started rampant attacks and violence on Trinamool candidates. Until the last date of withdrawal of nomination, BJP miscreants had piled up pressure on the candidates and issued warnings.
Failing to withdraw them from the contest, they resorted to physical attacks on the candidates and their family members, Sushmita Dev alleged.
She said that earlier, 11 TMC candidates received threats and their houses had been attacked. The son and daughter of TMC candidate in AMC Sangeeta Banerjee were badly beaten up and hospitalised in critical condition.
The attacks and assaults on TMC candidates and local level leaders have increased manifolds where as many as eight violent attacks were reported in the AMC area in the last three days, Dev pointed out.
Allegedly, some BJP miscreants attacked AMC Ward No 14 TMC candidate Poushali Datta at Ranjitnagar locality in the northern outskirt of the city yesterday in broad daylight. However, the attackers fled away after localities protested and chased them although they threatened to sue her unless they stayed away from the contest.
At night, BJP cadres stormed the house of a TMC candidate from AMC Ward No 48 Aparna Biswas and ransacked her housebreaking the gates.
She and other family members have received injuries in the attack and finally following resistance from the neighbour’s miscreants fled away, TMC leader said adding, “Most of the violent attacks are occurring in minister Ramprasad Pal, outgoing speaker Rebati Mohan Das and BJP MLA Mimi Majumder’s constituencies in the city.”
“Unfortunately, in none of the cases police took action rather helped the criminals. Not only now, about 100 TMC leaders and workers including me and our national general secretary Abhishekh Banerjee were attacked in the last six months by BJP goons. Repeatedly, we have been requesting police to arrest the criminals but police are inactive, which indirectly encourages criminals to continue violence,” Dev added.
According to the report, Sushmita Dev has filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court seeking issuance of directions to the State of Tripura to provide security to the party members, especially during the civic poll campaign and entire election process. She also sought the formation of an SIT headed by a retired judge to investigate the alleged vandalism and hooliganism targeting the TMC members.
