Tripura: Women protestors heckle BJP leader, teargas fired, cops injured

Agartala: Tension prevailed in the Taidu Bazar area under the Amarpur sub-division of Tripura on Tuesday after hundreds of women staged a protest near a BJP program, shouting slogans against state BJP Vice President Patal Kanya Jamatia.

Jamatia, who was a civil rights activist before joining the saffron party, witnessed severe backlash for severing her association with other regional parties and joining the BJP.

Speaking on the issue, SDPO Ampi Uttam Banik said, “There was a pre-scheduled joining program of the BJP at the Taidu community hall located at a stone’s throw distance from the main market where Patal Kanya Jamatia was slated to remain present. In the morning, hundreds started to gather at the main road for arrival at the venue of the program. All of them were holding black flags and placards with Patal Kanya Jamatia go back slogans scribbled on them.”

With time, he said, the protests only intensified as women activists blockaded the main entrance road.

“We have, however, managed the situation and let all the leaders pass through the blockade without any hassle. Some of our cops have sustained injuries while tackling the situation. Two of our vehicles were vandalised, a motorcycle was reduced to pieces and private properties suffered losses. A specific FIR is being lodged with the local police station and we hope all the accused persons will be arrested soon,” said Banik, adding that observing the situation slipping out of control tear gas shells were fired to disperse the agitators.

“We thought things would slowly calm down but when the intensity of protests started giving bad signals, tear gas shells were fired. Soon after that, the crowd dispersed,” he added. 

However, the scheduled joining program passed off without any interruption in presence of Tribal Welfare Minister Rampada Jamatia, MP Rebati Tripura and Patal Kanya Jamatia. Condemning the incident, MP Rebati Tripura accused TIPRA of for the incident.

“Patal Kanya Jamatia may have been in other parties, but she is now an active member of the BJP. All political parties have equal rights to make public contact for expansion. On the other hand, the party in power on the hill (TIPRA) believes in a starkly different political philosophy. Whenever BJP organises any program, TIPRA party workers try to spark tension. This has become a regular exercise of TIPRA,” said Tripura.

Issuing a terse warning to TIPRA, Tripura said, “There is a limit to everything. Our workers are silent now but I don’t feel we shall tolerate such treatment for long. When all limits are crossed, retaliation is inevitable.”

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