Tripura: Newspaper 'exposes scam', 6,000 copies destroyed

Agartala: Two months after Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb warned a section of newspaper and said he would not forgive them for confusing people over COVID-19 management, over six thousand copies of ‘Pratibadi Kalam’, a local vernacular newspaper were snatched by a group of miscreants at Udaipur bus stand in Gomati district, around 60 km from here.

Speaking with EastMojo, Anal Roy Chowdhury, editor of Pratibadi Kalam newspaper said that the attack over the distribution of newspaper was instigated following the series of report of Rs 150 crore alleged scam published in the last three days involving the agriculture minister and some of the political leaders with it.

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The passenger buses en-route to Sabroom in the southern part of Tripura was stopped in Udaipur bus stand and the Saturday publication of the newspaper was snatched by a group of miscreants. A few of the copies were set on fire.

“A series of news reports was published on an alleged scam of Rs 150 crore in the Agriculture department which involved the agriculture minister Pranajit Singha Roy’s name along with some other leaders. Today around 6,000 copies of the newspaper were snatched from the passenger buses. They burnt some of the newspapers and tore some in the middle of the road,” Chowdhury said.

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He further said that an FIR was registered at Radhakishorepur police station in Gomati district against 12 persons including Raju Majumder, who instigated the snatching of newspapers from passengers buses en-route to Sabroom on Saturday morning.

“The chief minister has inquired into the matter and assured that action would be taken against those responsible,” Chowdhury added.

Meanwhile, the Agartala Press Club outgoing Secretary Pranab Sarkar and President Subal Kumar Dey, who are representing two separate panels, met with top cops in police headquarters at Agartala police headquarters demanding immediate action against the miscreants.

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Speaking with reporters, veteran journalist Jayanta Bhattacharya said the assault on the newspaper is an attack on press rights and freedom and demanded strict action against those responsible behind.

Senior journalist Jayanta Debnath said the Assembly of Journalist has served a notice for 24 hours to arrest the culprits failing which they would sit-in demonstration in front of police headquarters.

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