Student leaders allege ruling party interference in Tripura, forcing a venue change for SFI State Conference after vandalism and administrative pressure. The event, now at Old Town Hall, Kailashahar, highlights concerns over shrinking democratic space.
Kailashahar (Tripura), May 28: Students’ Federation of India (SFI), students wing of CPIM, pointed fingers at the ruling dispensation in Tripura alleging attempts to disrupt the upcoming State Conference of the SFI.
Venting anguish, SFI leaders claimed unwanted political interference has forced the students’ body to change the venue of the upcoming State Conference. The students’ leaders also alleged miscreants are also trying to disrupt the preparations for the conference by destroying SFI flags, festoons and banners.
Leftists were quick to come down and alleged ruling party’s bid to throttle democracy by suppressing opposition parties’ voices. “Political interference has forced us a last-minute change in the venue of pre-scheduled state conference”, said SFI State secretary of Tripura Unit Sandipan Deb.
The SFI had initially planned to host the conference at RKI School in Kailashahar under the Unakoti District of Tripura. The school, currently shut for summer vacation, was chosen in anticipation of an uninterrupted program. However, despite the school being unoccupied, the administration reportedly denied permission under pressure from ruling party leaders.
“We were informed unofficially that political directives led to the refusal. This is not just an attack on a student organization, but a clear attempt to throttle the democratic space,” said SFI leaders to the media in Agartala on Wednesday.
In response, after being denied, the organisers have moved the venue to the Old Town Hall in Kailashahar. Deb further alleged that multiple efforts have been made to sabotage the event, including the vandalism of banners and posters by suspected supporters of the ruling party.
“These actions are not isolated – they are part of a systematic campaign to silence dissent and disrupt democratic engagement,” he said.
Senior leaders including former Chief Minister of Tripura and ex-Politburo member Manik Sarkar and Leader of the Opposition and CPIM Politburo member Jitendra Chaudhury are expected to attend the SFI State Conference.
The incident has triggered debate among political observers and civil society members, many of whom view the obstruction as a troubling sign of shrinking democratic space in the state, SFI sources in Kailashahar said.
