Agartala, July 15: Tension prevailed at Chottakhola under Belonia Subdivision in South Tripura on Wednesday after police stopped a CPIM procession organised in memory of late party leader Badal Chandra Shil, citing concerns over a possible deterioration in the law and order situation.
The rally was organised to pay tribute to Shil, the CPIM’s candidate in the last Zilla Parishad elections, who died in 2024 after allegedly being assaulted by a group of local residents. The party has consistently alleged that the ruling BJP was behind the incident, an allegation rejected by the ruling party.
According to police officials, the procession was halted before reaching its destination after a large number of villagers assembled on the route to oppose the rally. Officials said the protest was led predominantly by women, prompting the administration to intervene to prevent any confrontation between the two groups.
Residents of the village claimed that seven local villagers had been falsely implicated in the murder case and had spent time in jail. Although the accused were granted bail, the deceased leader’s family later approached the High Court, which cancelled their bail, resulting in their return to judicial custody. The villagers alleged that innocent people had been targeted in the case and opposed the CPIM’s march through the area.
Police said permission had initially been granted for the rally, but the situation changed after intelligence inputs and the gathering of protesters, forcing authorities to stop the procession as a precautionary measure.
The police action triggered protests from CPIM leaders and workers. Leader of Opposition and CPIM State Secretary Jitendra Choudhury urged the police to allow the rally to proceed but was refused. During a heated exchange, Choudhury made critical remarks against the district police administration. Additional Superintendent of Police Suman Majumder objected to the comments and urged the senior opposition leader to maintain decorum.
Former MLA Sudhan Das also engaged in a verbal exchange with police officials, while party workers raised slogans in protest.
Addressing supporters, Choudhury accused the state government of failing to maintain law and order and alleged that anti-social elements were influencing the administration. He asserted that the CPIM would continue its political campaign despite the restrictions.
The situation remained under control with heavy police deployment, and no untoward incidents were reported.
