Agartala, September 29: The Tipra Motha on Tuesday demanded the arrest of those allegedly involved in the firing that injured one of its candidates during the Village Committee elections in Udaipur, giving the authorities 24 hours to take action.
A nine-member delegation of the party met State Election Commission official Anurag Sen at the Commission’s office in Gorkhabasti here and submitted a deputation seeking immediate intervention into the incident.
The delegation comprised TTAADC Chief Executive Member Runiel Debbarma, MLAs Ranjit Debbarma and Biswajit Koloi, MDCs Suraj Debbarma, Jiten Debbarma and Prathmit Debbarma, besides other party representatives.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, MLA Ranjit Debbarma said the party had demanded swift action as the firing occurred while polling was underway.
“If the attackers are not arrested within 24 hours, the party will announce its next course of action. Since the incident occurred in connection with the elections, we have demanded swift intervention from the Election Commission,” he said.
The firing was reported from Warengbari in Gomati district on Monday afternoon. According to police, a Tipra Motha candidate was injured after unidentified persons allegedly opened fire. Two other persons were also injured in the incident and were taken to hospital.
Debbarma alleged that the attackers had arrived in vehicles and opened fire near the polling station. He questioned the delay in making arrests despite the passage of 24 hours.
He further claimed that some of the injured party workers had identified the alleged attackers and provided information to the police, but no arrests had been made.
The Tipra Motha leader said party representatives would visit the spot and interact with local residents to gather information about the circumstances leading to the violence.
The party also demanded immediate steps to restore law and order and prevent similar incidents during the election process.
Debbarma said police personnel were also injured during subsequent clashes and termed the violence “highly undesirable” in the context of an election.
Reports said Gomati Superintendent of Police Anirban Das was injured in stone-pelting during a clash near the Gamaria strong room, while the official vehicle of Udaipur SDPO Debanjali Roy was allegedly vandalised.
The party sought adequate security at polling stations and protection for candidates, voters, polling personnel and political workers.
The TTAADC Village Committee elections were held on Monday after nearly a decade. Polling was largely peaceful in most areas, though isolated incidents of violence were reported.
The BJP, Tipra Motha, CPI(M), Congress and other parties contested the elections. The allegations raised by Tipra Motha are likely to be examined by the police and election authorities.
