Tripura: Several injured in political clash after Panchayat oath taking

Agartala, Aug 30: Ruckus hit the oath-taking ceremony of the Rajnagar Panchayat in Kadamtala block under North Tripura districts after a violent clash erupted between the workers of the ruling BJP and opposition CPIM and Congress.

According to reports, more than two persons suffered injuries and were subsequently hospitalised for treatment. The injured persons are currently receiving treatment at Dharmanagar District Hospital.

The incident took place on Friday afternoon at the Rajnagar Gram Panchayat. Local BJP workers besieged the local police station and alleged that the police didn’t take action against the opposition party workers who launched the unprovoked attacks on them.

The conflict arose after none of the political parties could secure a majority in the 11-member Panchayat board. Out of the 11 seats, BJP won five, Congress won four, and CPM secured two seats.

With no party gaining a majority, the Congress and CPM decided to form the Panchayat board together, and their proposal was also accepted officially. The oath-taking ceremony commenced peacefully at the Rajnagar Community Hall around 11 am.

According to Abdul Mumin, a newly elected member of the BJP, the whole ceremony passed off without any hindrance. However, following the event, CPM and Congress supporters allegedly launched a sudden attack on the elected members of the ruling BJP.

Among those who suffered injuries in the attack were identified as Abdul Mumin, Ratnadip Das, Sujit Das, Altaf Uddin, Sanjay Pal, Gourmani Das, and several others.

They were initially taken to Kadamtala Community Health Centre, but due to the severity of their injuries, some of them were swiftly shifted to Dharmanagar District Hospital.

Upon hearing of the incident, officials from the sub-division and a large contingent of police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.

Meanwhile, BJP supporters staged a protest in front of the Kadamtala police station, condemning the incident vehemently.

On the other hand, the Congress and CPM have claimed that it was the BJP members who initiated the attack, as they couldn’t digest their defeat despite adopting all sorts of unfair poll practices.