From Our Correspondent
Agartala: Congress supporters on Tuesday staged agitation across the state protesting the arrest of PCC president Sudip Roy Barman’s elder brother- Sandip Roy Barman sparking a major controversy ahead of the Assembly elections.
Roy Barman was arrested after recovery of firearms and fake notes from his brick kiln near Champaknagar in West Tripura on Monday evening.
Later, following widespread reaction, PCC’s elder brother was released from the police station on personnel bond. However, specific case has been registered against Sandip under 27 arms Act.
Alarmed by the arrest on ‘false charge’ thousands of Congress leaders and supporters organized protest rallies across the state to condemned the police act at the behest of ruling CPM.
No untoward incident was reported during the agitational programme ahead of the Assembly elections.
PCC president sharply reacted to the incident saying that it was a conspiracy of the CPI (M) party to malign the image of the Congress party. “The CPM party was pushed to crisis after the release of people friendly Congress-INPT manifesto”, he said.
“It was a pre-planned effort of the ruling CPI (M) party. Sandip Roy Barman is not involved with politics. But, still they trapped Sandip to malign the entire Congress party before the Assembly elections. They are also trying to create a bad image of the party before the people,” said PCC president in a press conference held at Congress Bhawan on Monday night.
Criticizing the ‘framed charge’, PCC president said, “The ruling adopted politics of hatred and exposed its narrow mindedness to get cheap political mileage”, he said.
Moreover, the Congress leaders would bring the incident under the acknowledgement of the Election Commission demanding strict action against the mastermind behind the conspiracy.
Later, he also cautioned party leaders to take precautionary measures to avoid such incident during the election process.
At a hurriedly called press meet, CPM state unit secretary Bijan Dhar said the recovery of arms and ammunition showed the Congress had hatched conspiracy to kill CPM leaders in the run up to the election.
“The Jirania subdivision has always been a sensitive area and recovery of firearms showed they (Congress) had hatched a deep-rooted conspiracy to malign the party before the election”, he said.
Dhar further said the party would inform the matter with the Election Commission and will urge the poll panel to take all measures to ensure peaceful elections.