Two Congress workers were injured on Friday night in a lathi charge during a protest in the Unakoti district of Tripura on Friday evening.
The protest, led by senior Congress leader and MLA Birajit Sinha and District Congress president Mohammad Badaruzzaman, saw a large gathering of party workers near the office of the District Magistrate (DM) in Kailashahar today.
The protest was sparked by accusations from the Congress party that the local administration, under the influence of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has been stalling and manipulating arrangements related to the upcoming vote counting in the Gram Panchayat elections which was held on August 8.
Protest Erupts at District Magistrate’s Office:
The situation escalated rapidly on Friday evening when Birajit Sinha and Md. Badruzzaman led a large contingent of Congress workers to the Unakoti District Magistrate’s office.
According to Congress leaders, the administration had earlier agreed to allocate specific spaces within the counting center for different political parties, as documented in an all-party meeting held on August 5. However, upon arrival at the designated area on Friday, Congress workers were outraged to find that the space had been allegedly commandeered by BJP supporters.
Their frustration was compounded by the absence of District Magistrate Dilip Kumar Chakma, who was not present at the time.
In his absence, the Congress delegation attempted to negotiate with Additional District Magistrate Arghya Saha. However, after failing to reach a satisfactory conclusion, the situation intensified. The Congress workers, incensed by the lack of progress, entered the District Magistrate’s office premises, chanting slogans and demanding immediate action.
Fear of Vote Counting Disruptions:
Birajit Sinha accused the ruling BJP of colluding with Sai Computer Limited, a private electricity service provider, to orchestrate power outages on the eve of the 2023 Assembly elections in Kailashahar. Sinha claimed that these power cuts were deliberately timed to facilitate the distribution of illicit funds to voters by BJP workers under the cover of darkness.
Sinha further revealed that after he lodged a formal complaint with the Election Commission regarding Sai Computer’s involvement, the company identified and dismissed one of its employees allegedly involved in the scheme.
However, Sinha alleged, the dismissed Sai employee, who is currently facing legal action, has now been tasked with overseeing the electricity services at the Gournagar block’s vote counting center—a move that he believes is part of a broader BJP strategy to disrupt the upcoming vote counting process on August 12.
In a final ultimatum, MLA Birajit Sinha and Md. Badruzzaman declared that if the District Magistrate does not address their demands by tonight, the Congress party will enforce a 24-hour bandh in the Gournagar block area on August 10.
Final status of the protest :
Even as the workers staged a sit-in, raising slogans and demanding immediate resolution of their concerns, central forces reportedly resorted to a lathi charge, resulting in injuries to two Congress workers who were subsequently hospitalized.
The situation remained tense until the District Magistrate arrived on the scene. After holding a meeting with Birajit Sinha and other local Congress leaders, the DM assured them that Congress would be allocated the same side of the counting hall as initially agreed upon in the all-party meeting.
Following the assurance from the DM, the Congress party decided to withdraw the bandh call and called off the protest.
The District Congress president confirmed that the party’s demands had been met, and the situation was now under control.
(Tripura, Tripura News)
