The Opposition Party delegations of Tripura were denied entry into Gandachhera which recently witnessed wide-spread violence and arson. Despite obtaining prior permission from the Dhalai district magistrate, the CPIM and Congress delegation had to return midway from their visit to the troubled Gandacherra area on Monday.
The CPIM delegation included opposition leader Jitendra Choudhury, former MLA Sudhan Das, and others. The Congress delegation comprised MLA Sudip Roy Barman, state Congress president Ashish Kumar Saha, and Youth Congress president Neel Kamal Saha, among others.
The Congress delegation set off from Agartala towards Gandacherra via Udaipur-Amarpur in the morning. As their vehicles reached the Kalajhari area on the Amarpur-Gandacherra road, a large police force led by Dhalai district’s Additional Superintendent of Police, Manbendra Chowdhury, blocked their way. The police did not allow the Congress delegation to proceed to Gandacherra. MLA Sudip Roy Barman had a heated exchange with the police officers, who clearly stated that the situation in Gandacherra subdivision was volatile and that their visit could exacerbate it.
The police informed the Congress delegation that Section 163 had been imposed in the area, prohibiting group visits. Subsequently, MLA Sudip Roy Barman sought permission from the police to allow four members of the delegation to visit the area, but the police did not agree.
The police made the Congress delegation return in a wartime-like situation. While returning, MLA Sudip Roy Barman questioned how political leaders like TIPRA Motha Supremo Pradyot Kishore Deb Barman and Minister Tinku Roy could visit the area under such conditions. The police could not provide a satisfactory answer to his question.
Meanwhile, hearing about the Congress state leaders being blocked at Kalajhari area, Ranjit Tripura, president of Raima Valley Block Congress, and Badal Sarkar, president of Block Youth Congress, along with other Congress leaders from Gandacherra (Gandachhara), tried to reach the spot, but the police stopped their vehicles at Kalajhari Bazaar.
On that day, not only the Congress delegation but also journalists from outside the subdivision were prevented from going to the area by the police. However, later, MLA Barman arranged for a four-member delegation of journalists to visit the affected area after talking with the district magistrate.
Like the Congress delegation, opposition leader Jitendra Choudhury led the CPIM delegation was also prevented from visiting Gandacherra (Gandachhara) by the police. A large police force blocked the CPIM delegation’s way from Ambasa to Dangabari on the way to Gandacherra.
Choudhury had a heated exchange with the police, requesting them to allow him to sit at the Gandacherra Dak Bungalow for a short while, even if he could not visit the affected area. But the police did not agree to his request, forcing him to return. The opposition leader accused the police of trying to cover up the truth. He questioned why they were not allowed to visit while the administration claimed that peace had returned and the tense situation was calming down.
This police obstruction has sparked widespread criticism across various parts of the state.
(Tripura, Tripura News)
